Beyond Thankful

Thanksgiving is a time to express how thankful we are for the blessings in our lives. Today, I would like to discuss three people in particular that are extremely special to me this Thanksgiving.

My parents

It would be typical and cliché of me to say that I am thankful for my parents. I am thankful for them every day and that should not be news to anyone by now. I would like to talk about a few things that make me extra thankful for them this year that they may not know about.

The entire reason I am in the Netherlands currently is because of my parents. Aside from financially supporting me, they also supported me on many other levels. Having the ability to study halfway across the world requires good grades, a strong worth ethic, and a confidence in your abilities. All of these qualities that I have come straight from my parents constant support throughout the years. I would like to believe that my parents telling me to “go the extra mile” since the third grade still applies to the reasons I have gotten where I am today. They raised me to believe in myself and my abilities and work as hard as I possibly could for the things I wanted. By raising me the way they did, they enabled me to have the experiences I do. I will always be so grateful for everything that they have given me.

 Tintern Abbey - Wales

Dad

It used to upset me how often my dad traveled for work. I understood that his job required him to be gone and that other families have it much worse than ours. What I didn’t realize was how all of that time he had to spend sitting on planes away from his family translated directly into me using his points to get home from the Netherlands. I didn’t realize that the money that I need for school and travel comes from all of the long hours he put in when we all know he would rather be at home. I spent a lot of time being upset at things he couldn’t control instead of realizing it was probably just as hard for him as it was me. Dad, I realize now how much your hard work has given me my opportunities and I am sorry I wasn’t always grateful for it.

Guinness Tour - Ireland

Mom

I called my mom when I found out I was accepted into Radboud University. Guess what? She wasn’t excited. The first emotion I heard out of her voice was worry. It was there for a split second and then it was masked by her attempt to be supportive and excited for me. People always attach worry as being a negative emotion. It is always considered bad to be a worry wart or to have a mom that worries too much. Those things are simply not true. I am so thankful for my mom’s worries. Her concern for my safety abroad is completely rational and actually wanted. My mom keeps me grounded and that keeps me safe. I am able to carefully navigate through my travels thanks to her and the conscience she instilled in me.  I have always known that my mom’s protectiveness only means one thing; she loves me more than I could even imagine. That’s pretty cool. Sure, my mom isn’t directly paying for my study abroad experience but she pays with her time. When I want to skype with her for over an hour at least once a week she always sits through it. She keeps me excited about my experiences here and makes sure I am making the most of it.

Both of my parents put in a lot of effort into preparing me to leave. My mom helped me decide what clothes I will need and what I can live without. My dad helped me try to jam all of my 60 lbs of ‘necessities’ into my suitcase as well as allowing them to spill into most if his! They both planned two weeks of travel for us while I was too worried about the silly things. They spent hours looking over my applications and bank information to make sure I wouldn’t have any problems once I got there. Studying abroad comes with an extremely long preparation process. It was a huge team effort to prepare and they handled it very well. Mom and Dad, you are the best parents I could have ever asked for and I am finding out you make amazing friends too! Thank you for everything you have given me and taught me.

Ring of Kerry Tour - Ireland

Logan

I don’t talk much about my boyfriend because I never wanted to be “that couple” but I think it is time to give him some credit. We have been together for 3 and a half years and for 2 of them we have been apart for long periods of time. We usually see each other for a few days at a time over Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, and Spring Break. We get around 3 weeks at Christmas and 3 months for summer as well. The rest of the time is usually spent around 1,000 miles away. Being the great girlfriend that I am, I decided to increase that to about 5,000 miles when I hopped the Atlantic Ocean. Even with all of those miles and an 8 hour time difference, Logan still knows more about what happens to me here than anyone else. We get to text from about 5 pm on (in the morning to early afternoon for him) every day. We also are able to find time to skype around twice a week. Although this isn’t exactly what we are used to, it isn’t all that different. He listens to my stories and he keeps me thinking positively. He is always supportive and is sure to make time for me. People frequently ask us how we do long distance and we don’t have an answer. We don’t know how we do it either. All I know is even with all of the miles, we still have so much fun talking to each other. We have learned how to make it work and it distance has just become a part of our lives at the moment. Logan, I am so thankful for you and everything you do for me.

Mendenhall Glacier - Alaska

Of course I am so thankful for many others in my life. I have met some amazing people here in the Netherlands, I have really solid friendships at MSU and I love my friends in Edwardsville! I am also thankful for the people in my life that I know through my parents or past jobs as well as my brother and extended family. The amount of people who have taken an interest in my travels and my blog is amazing to me and I am thankful for each and every one of you!

Happy Thanksgiving, God Bless!