Thankful.

Ansley Hamilton

AP Lang 6th 

The wonderful qualities of Fall are endless. A slight chill in the air replaces heat and humidity. Bright colors emerge everywhere: monotone green transforms to crisp oranges, bright yellows, and deep reds. Not only do my most enjoyed television shows return, but so does the familiar sip of a pumpkin spice latte and the sweet sensation of candy corn. As September comes to an end, boots, scarves, jeans, and jackets emerge from their long hibernation. However, the most treasured event of Autumn doesn't come until the end: Thanksgiving.

As a child, I would never have considered Thanksgiving my favorite holiday. No significant gifts came and students only receive 3 days away from school. In my mind, this made the holiday insignificant. I can distinctively remember in second grade, each student in our class was given a paper tree and all the students cut out leaves with things we were thankful for written on the tree. I was so ungrateful and I took everything for granted that I barely knew what to write on each leaf. 

Since then, I've learned what the true value of Thanksgiving: togetherness. Thanksgiving is the only holiday where all of my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, and my cousins unite under one roof to celebrate our blessings, instead of what we wish for. I took this for granted for so many years, but one year the family bond was nearly broken. Luckily, God's mercy kept the family united. That Thanksgiving I swore to myself I would never again overlook the value of the holiday.

This Thanksgiving I look forward to all the traditions we have accumulated over the years. My brother, my uncle, and I will all run the Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon in downtown Atlanta, while my mom arises early to cook. After the race, my grandma and I make the famous “Hamilton Pumpkin Pie”, my dad, uncle, and grandpa will play a game of golf, and my brother will rest because he works the Black Friday Shift at Macy's. But perhaps the most important tradition, is when I walk past the paper tree that still hangs in the house and take a moment to appreciate all the comforts in my life.