Whitney on giving thanks

This Thanksgiving, I enjoyed gathering around the dining room table with my family once again, and sharing a special feast filled with my favorite soul foods. My grandmother, aunts, and uncles all cooked turkey, baked chicken, green beans, macaroni-n-cheese, potato salad, sweet-potato pie (and a lot more) for dinner. As usual we reminisced on unforgettable moments, joked around, and renewed acquaintances. My cousins and I talked about how college is going, our future goals, and how we were all dreading exams. After dinner, my family and I drew names for our secret Santa this year and expressed our thanks.

Besides the good food and conversation, what I enjoyed most was listening to everyone state what they were thankful for. Hearing everyone’s unique statements made me reflect on all the things I was thankful for. I thought about the trials I experienced this year and the challenges I was able to overcome, which then led me to realize that I could not have done these things if it weren’t for the love and support from family and friends God has blessed me with. Through my service work and experience with the Bonner program I have met people that do not have that opportunity. Therefore, this year I’m thankful for their support and simply having the opportunity to spend my Thanksgiving with them again. Furthermore, I am thankful for having the opportunity to be a Bonner Scholar. Bonner has helped me to learn a lot about myself and has led me to develop a desire to give back to my family, friends, and community.