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SPECIAL THANKSGIVING....

If there is one thing that my mother has mastered throughout her life, it is making a Thanksgiving dinner. Not only is it delicious, but she is able to time everything correctly so that all the entrees are hot at the same time; a skill that is difficult to master with an average-size kitchen.

 

The standard Thanksgiving dinner usually consists of turkey, stuffing (also called dressing), mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberries, and pumpkin pie. However, a basic meal is not suitable for my mother. She likes to get fancy and create multiple casseroles, different cranberry sauces, appetizers, and different pies. All in all, it is not something you can prepare in one day because it requires a lot of preparation. The fact that my mother agreed to do this arduous task twice in one year, once in the heat of summer, is something for which I am grateful.

 

I was lucky enough to celebrate this holiday previously in the year, and now I am lucky to celebrate with my new OLM family. A common Thanksgiving tradition is to go around the table and say one thing you are grateful for. I happen to be grateful for a lot this year:

My health. Some of you may not know but I was originally scheduled to come to OLM in February. A week before my flight to Rio I was in the hospital with a growth on my neck. For a few days the doctors were unsure of my condition and one specialist thought it might even be cancer. After many tests and scans it turned out to be a bad case of mononucleosis. Even though mononucleosis is a pretty serious condition, I was so grateful that it was not anything worse. I thank God that my recovery was only a month long and that I was back on my feet in no time, which allowed me to come here.

 

My family. Before coming to OLM I was a student teacher at a school in Chicago, Illinois that had a large population of students who were foster children. Working with the students opened my eyes to how lucky I am to have been born into a positive environment with a supportive family. We tend to take things for granted until we see the lack of certain things in the lives of others. I am thankful that I was able to make an impact on the lives of my students who needed it the most.

 

My family away from home. Now I am here at OLM and I am extremely grateful the experience I have had while in Brazil. Before coming here, I have never been away from home for more than three weeks. It was an opportunity I could not pass up, but I knew that it may be difficult for me to be away for so long. However, I found a new addition to my family. The OLM family welcomed me with open arms and made me feel like a part of the group. Being here has opened my eyes to so much, and I know I would not have been able to do it if you all did not take me in as you did. So this Thanksgiving I am thankful for you. And when I count my blessings this year, I will remember to count you twice.

 

by Kenny Cronin

Upon leaving the U.S. to come to Brazil, I knew that I was going to miss out on my favorite holiday. Easter, Christmas, and Halloween are the popular favorites back in the States, and even though Thanksgiving is not as popular, it happens to be my favorite. Thanksgiving is usually celebrated by eating a lot of food, spending time with loved ones, and counting your blessings. Since I was not going to be home on November 28th, my wonderful mother agreed to make me a full Thanksgiving dinner in the middle of August to share with my family before I left.

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