Thanksgiving Thoughts

"This morning, there's a calm I can't explain.
The rock candy's melted, only diamonds now remain."
-John Mayer

        Who would have thought it was true? Thanksgiving, as my Jewish Studies professor David Biale explained, is a Jewish holiday! In Hebrew, Chag haHodaya is a holiday of thanks, and Chag haHodu is a holiday of Turkey. The similarity of these words is so striking, that it is obvious that thanksgiving is a holiday derived from the Jews. With a joking lecture aside, it is curious to note that the kids in the Religious school I song-lead for also thought tried to convince me that Thanksgiving was a Jewish holiday. Their rational was that Thanksgiving was just the goyisha version of Sukkot, one of the Jewish harvest festivals. Regardless, the argument that the secular Thanksgiving derives from a Jewish holiday has just about as much validity as if one were to argue that Christmas was created so that store owners could increase business. In any case, this year, I have much to be thankful for.
        First, my family. This year, my cousin Laurie had her second child, Samantha. Since last thanksgiving, Becky has met and fallen for Eric, and I have a hunch that they'll be together for a long time. I'm really happy for her. My parents FINALLY completed the remodel, and my mom just had a very happy, accomplishing birthday. I know it means a lot to her that she was able to get to this point and it is something I give thanks for. My dad is always continuing his pursuit of the business which allows him to retire, and I think he's found it. I'm thankful that he found it, but I will be much happier when he finally does. He deserves it. He defines "workaholic," and I see where I get my work ethic from.
        Second, my friends. My friends are a special breed of people. They inspire, discover, learn, grow, and they cause me to do the same. I am so happy to say that I have remained close with many friends, despite the distance of college. There are two which I feel are necessary to specifically mention because of their contribution to my life: Stacy and Ally. I do not mean to say that these two are the only ones who have contributed to me and kept me sane in the last year, but they are the two that I could not say the same about last year. Joanna, Sally, Ben, Sarah, and Molly have made such an impact on me, I am forever grateful, yet this year I add Stacy and Ally to the list of who keep me true to myself and others.
        Stacy and I met in June of 2003 at Mechina, but we didn't really get to know each other that well. We also didn't really keep in touch. This past summer changed that. Stacy and I were able to maintain a great support system for each other that rivaled friends of many years. I don't know what I would have done without her listening and helpfulness since we reconnected. She's also someone who I'm incredibly proud of. She has overcome some very trying times incredibly well and has matured so much in a short amount of time. I'd like to think that I had as much impact on her as she has on me, but regardless, I am thankful that we are as close as we are and I hope our relationship stays exactly the same.
        Ally. It takes a lot for me to get butterflies in my stomach. Yet Ally is the kind of person that I get so excited to speak to, that it happens almost every time I even think of her. I also don't know what this summer would have been like without her. There are a few people who read me really well. Ally's one of them. Ally does more than read my emotions, though, she knows how to deal with them and how to handle a situation. This summer, for example, she could tell when how on the last night of camp, I was incredibly frustrated with a situation. She read this and took me outside for a few minutes. We just went outside and breathed. She could tell that I needed to not be in that room and acted on that instinct. There are moments like that which bring such joy and comfort to my life. I am so thankful that she is a part of my life and I only wish that we could live closer together.
        I have a lot to be thankful for when I look back on the last year. I couldn't have imagined I would be where I am now: on NFTY board, a brother of AEPi, incredible friends with a mutual feeling of love, on a bus going from UC Davis to the airport to fly home for Thanksgiving. I only dreamed of this moment. To quote Edwin McCain, "I could not ask for more."
        Yet something bothers me about Thanksgiving. I understand how one can be thankful, I can understand how one can be appreciative, but how does one give thanks? It is going up to someone and saying "thank you"? Is that giving thanks? Or maybe it derives from a sacrificial ritual from the early Temple days which would prove that Thanksgiving is REALLY a Jewish holiday. Maybe. It's something to ponder, and maybe there is no right answer. All I know is that life is good.