What was first established as a holiday celebrating the peace between two
conflicting groups, has now become a day where people look back at all they have to be
thankful for. Everyone has a different tradition but I believe it is safe to say that the
majority of us celebrate this special day with our close, loved ones. It was during a
regular thanksgiving celebration that I really realized the importance of being grateful.
After a week of normal thanksgiving-theme school work, it was the typical
holiday atmosphere that everyone acknowledges but most don’t take the time to reflect
on the real meaning. My father had told us weeks ahead of time that we were going to be
having our thanksgiving dinner with his friends at his café on the infamous Capital Hill.
Everyone showed up on time and soon enough the nostalgic smells and noise of a
festivity were upon us. After saying our prayer of thanks and helping ourselves to a
bountiful dinner, we all sat at the massive table and told small stories that always ended
with someone embarrassed and everyone else laughing. It was during that cheerful time
my sister had noticed a visibly homeless man stumbling up the hill outside of the café.
He sat down on the bench outside, and within minutes he was sleeping. My dad gave
each of us kids the task of collecting portions of the leftover food and putting it in a take
out box. We all gathered around the windows as my dad took the man the box and came
back inside. He quickly woke up and was surprised to find a warm, homemade meal in
front of him. And as he sat alone, eating his thanksgiving meal on that bench, my dad
hugged us and for the first time I truly felt grateful. Grateful to have a loving family,
grateful for all of our close friends, and grateful to have someone to share the holiday with.
Oh that is a very sweet story.
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