With Halloween ending, everyone is pumped up about Christmas. But let’s not forget one of the best holidays yet, Thanksgiving. So much food, so many broken jeans buttons and best of all of being surrounded by family. It’s pretty great if you ask me. Many people, including myself, take this holiday for granted. We’re so lucky to have the clothes on our backs, the mounds of food on the table and our families by our sides. Be thankful for those annoying siblings, be thankful for those bratty cousins, and be thankful for your bossy mom. Be thankful for those cheesy dad jokes and the high fives from grandpa as well as the kisses from your grandma. Be thankful that your uncle was able to make it home from Afghanistan for yet another Thanksgiving. Be thankful for the overdone turkey and that gross cranberry sauce. Be thankful for the crowded tables and the loud noises coming from everyone. Be thankful that the cancer didn’t claim your grandma as another victim. You may not have all the money in the world, and you may not have all the friends, but with family by your side, you are the richest in the world. Be thankful that they’re still there, lecturing you and joking with you. Be thankful for it all.  But most of all, be thankful that you are still alive. Even if you lack all of these things, be thankful that you’re still living and breathing and alive. Never take your breath for granted.  You only get one life to live, so don’t live it envying everyone else; live it loving everything you have and work your hardest for everything you don’t have. It is you who decides what you want to be, so choose wisely and remember, be thankful you have the choice to be what you want to be.