Be Thankful.

This Thanksgiving I am home for the first time since August, when I departed Chicago for Williamsburg to prepare for Orientation. It has been a busy semester here for us juniors, with the real world knocking just around the corner, exams, internship interviews, auditions, and meetings to attend. Now that I am home, however, and all of the hustle and bustle can settle down I have been able to reflect on what this semester has meant, and all of the great many things I have to be thankful for.

First, professors. At William and Mary, unlike any other school I have attended, I have been able to connect and create professional relationships that will be of use to me well after I leave college. They have been there this semester to discuss papers, study strategies, stress, exciting moments, grad school applications, and life. I have been able to talk to professors in classes of all sizes. I really enjoyed going to the basketball game the other day and seeing a whole row of professors behind me cheering on the Tribe. I am thankful for professors.

Second, community. William and Mary is the most incredible mix of different types of people. There have been ups and downs, but I am so happy that I have friends who will drop everything to be there for each other. This is something you can be certain of if you ever attend William and Mary, the community cannot be beat. I am thankful for the school spirit that shines from every student at our school, from supporting our football team and basketball team, to Samantha Casey, as she competes for Miss USA.

Last, it’s a tradition in my family to go around the table and say what we are thankful for before we get to eat food. When all the kids were little, this took a very long time and the food would start to get cold. So, my Dad started a new tradition: soup. He would make soup and we would do our around the table thankful tradition as we ate the soup. Here is an excerpt from an email my dad sent me and his co-workers this semester. He sent it to me at a time when I was really stressed last week and his words of advice I think are pertinent now. Especially at a time when I am so thankful for family: I think when you go through a tough patch you are sometimes given the opportunity to reflect, so during this holiday season, please take some time to enjoy the simple  pleasures of being with family and friends. Savor what is good, give thanks for farmers, and the bountiful land and oceans, cook with humor, share a meal, reuse and renew where you can, give to and give back, and renew the spirit to see the world not as it is, but as it can be; for that is the sprit of the holidays. Do good and be safe…with a little holiday advice from my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!