Always a time for giving thanks

By Staff
Melissa Cason
This week I have been in disbelief that the holiday season is now upon us.
I love Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Well, I have to admit I am not that big a fan of Thanksgiving. I like the turkey, and the awesome desserts but I feel everyone should give thanks every day of the year and not just on one designated day.
I am thankful for my family, friends, job, and life every day. I try not to take anything for granted because I know it can be taken away at anytime.
Another reason I am not that big a fan of turkey day is because it's fake. People flock to see family members they only see twice a year and pretend they have these great relationships with them for one day. The next day, everybody goes back to what they have been doing: Living their lives.
I am not saying that everyone who gathers is like this but it is the way is in my family. I have family members who I don't see until the holidays because we'd all go to my grandmother's house. Since her death in 2006, I have family members I haven't seen in years.
Yes, I agree that families should have tight bonds and that we should love one another. I do love my family, even my extended one with all my cousins, and there are hundreds of them.
While I do love them, I don't go to their houses to see them. I only see them once a year if we are lucky.
But, what I do like about Thanksgiving is that me, Jimmy and the boys are together. Last year was a mess, but this year I have high hopes for the holiday.
My brother's wife, Jennifer, and my nieces, Courtney and Samantha, are coming for the holiday. We are unsure if Robert will be able to join us because he is scheduled to be on a training rotation that week.
We are going to eat at my house, and yes I am cooking this year. I have already begun planning our meal. We are having the regular stuff, but for dessert we are having turtle pumpkin pie, cranberry-pineapple mini gels and a traditional dessert yet to be determined. I guess you can tell that I really like to cook. I am a baker.
Regardless of what you are doing, I hope that you have Thanksgiving in your heart everyday of the year and not just one day. And, I hope that you spend it with family and friends whom you share a special closeness. That's what the holiday is about: Spending time with people you have a close relationship with not because you have the same last name or are a distant relation.
Cherish the ones you love everyday, and enjoy this holiday season.