Thanksgiving on campus isn’t so bad. Don’t get me wrong, missing out on a home cooked meal is never fun, and missing out on Thanksgiving dinner is like missing out on the best home cooked meal of them all!
Well get this…I have missed out on the last three Thanksgiving dinners back home. For the last three years I have been on campus while most are eating turkey and ham with family and friends. But, Thanksgiving on campus isn’t so bad.
I may not have my family with me on campus, but I do have my friends who are the closest you will get to the real thing. A lot of people think that staying on campus during Thanksgiving is the worst, but when you have good people around you, it doesn’t matter who they are, there is always a reason to be thankful.
Although the food isn’t prepared by my mother, I have had a Thanksgiving meal every year that I’ve spent on campus. For those who do not know, Ms. Perry is a Professor of Sociology here on campus and every year she prepares a Thanksgiving meal for all students who spend their holiday on campus.
Every year, more students gather in Higgins Hall, and every year Ms. Perry feeds them all. This year was the biggest turn out that I’ve seen.
Before blessing the food, her Minister spoke shortly with us about the importance of being thankful for the things that we have. His words spoke to me and gave me a new perspective. He told us that God has a way of taking what seems to be not enough, and stretching it until it is more than enough.
Staying on campus is the perfect example because I am away from all the things that make Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving. You know… mom and dad. Siblings and cousins, aunties and uncles and grandparents. Pretty much everything you would see on a Thanksgiving-themed postcard. What I am left with, however, is simply the feeling of giving thanks.
It’s not like I don’t see my family during the holiday. My sister Facetimes me every year and walks her phone around the house and I get the chance to speak with all my family. So, I am thankful that even though I am not there in person, I can still see all their faces. Thanks, Steve Jobs!
I realized that I am also thankful to be able to go out and do things. Just because you spend Thanksgiving on campus doesn’t mean you have to spend it cooped up in your room all day.
There are some restaurants that are open during the holidays. IHOP is always a good option if you ask me. Although IHOP is not known for serving turkey with stuffing and dressing on the side, it is still a meal, and with the right people, I promise you won’t tell the difference.
So here I am, on Thanksgiving without family and family tradition, and I am more thankful than I have ever been before because it has shown me that Thanksgiving is about more than those things. Thanksgiving is about being happy and thankful for the things you do have.
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I’m Staying: Thanksgiving on the Yard
November 29, 2017
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