7th grade Hannah Thompson’s expression of gratitude: 

I know that I am lucky.  However I also know I don’t say it enough.  So here I am, saying it again: I am lucky.  There are precious few people who have what I do.  I have loving parents who care about me. I can go to school freely.  I can eat everyday without rationing it for fear if it of running out.  I can play sports and do other extra-curricular activities.  But most of all, I am thankful for being alive.  I mean, just think about it.  You are here, living on Earth, a tiny speck smaller than a molecule on a giant’s marble.  But you are here.  Alive.

Yes! Life has its issues. There are bruises. People are lost. But you live to see it. Those bruises make you stronger. Those who are lost, are eventually found, in your memories, your hearts, in the love you and your family share.

Yes, you are just a speck, but think about it. Washington was just a speck, until he inspired millions of other specks. And those specks, created a nation. But he didn’t do it alone, he had thousands of other specks to push him along. Friends, family, memories, bruises. Those specks made him who he was. It’s what made him a General , which led to him becoming a President which helped make our nation.

I guess I’m thankful for all the little things that help make me.

7th grader Lindsey Gileski’s reflection:

A lot of people are grateful for the usual things. They are happy for family, pets, food, blah, blah, blah. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for those things too. But I am grateful for more than that.

To some this will sound shallow, but it’s not–I am thankful for shoes. Without shoes I would have to endure hard rocks, dirty feet, and that gross, oozing mud between your toes. It’s even worse when it is warm, and you don’t quite think it’s mud because of the smell. Shoes also make me feel like I have importance to the world. I like to leave my footprint on the world , and many people would like to be barefoot for that, but what if where you need to leave your footprint, and an elephant just went to the bathroom there? I mean really!

I am also grateful for cashmere. I have goats and besides the cashmere making them huggable and fun to sled next to on snowy days, it is useful.  When I brush out their cashmere in the spring, I am going to knit it in to a small blanket and give it away to someone who needs.  I could sell it for money but I’m not going to.  I think the person I give it to will appreciate it. 

There are a lot more random things I am grateful for and you can bet the list includes flower pots. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING. 

Natalie Zembsch: I’m thankful for thrift shops.

Riley Flint: I’m thankful that I have a pirate ship in my backyard.

Annelise Ostrowski: Gravy.

Julia Holbrook: A dog to listen.

WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?  POST A COMMENT BELOW.  A TOP COMMENTER WILL BE SELECTED TO RECEIVE A FREE TREAT FROM THE E-WAY STORE NEXT WEEK.