Can I be honest? Before leaving for college, Thanksgiving didn't seem like a huge deal. Don't get me wrong, pausing and reflecting is good. Spending time with family is good. Being thankful is good and green bean casserole is really good, but besides the massive amount of food and a ritzy parade, it seems like any other day. But college changed that. Being away from home changed that. Being away from family changed that.

This is the fourth year that I'll be away from my family on Thanksgiving, and while that makes me very sad, it also makes me realize that I'm lucky to have people to miss. Too often we save up all of our thankfulness for a single Thursday in the year, in fact we usually only use the word "thankful" around this time of year. But Thanksgiving is more than a prayer or a meal -- it's a verb. Thanksgiving is active, it makes change, and it's engaged all year long.

Thanksgiving is expressed through words of affirmation; words that uplift and encourage. It's the "I love you's" and the "I miss you's" over the phone. It's the day-to-day silly Snapchats and quick texts. Thanksgiving is the small surprises that come in the mail unexpectedly from your mom. It doesn't matter if it's just a refill of your multivitamins, a care package is a care package and they're always welcome. It's sending your sibling a birthday gift in the mail and FaceTimeing as they open it. Thanksgiving is big hugs when you make a trip home for a long weekend. It's snuggling up in big cozy blankets watching a good movie. Thanksgiving is offering to wash dishes on a boring Monday, not just after a family feast. It's running the errands and doing chores for the sole purpose of being a blessing. Thanksgiving is quality time with people you love. It's movie dates, random adventures, going out to eat, and just having lazy days. Thanksgiving is the teary airport goodbyes after time home. It's the last minute hugs before getting in line for security and the waves as you get farther and farther away.

While a Thanksgiving meal is a grand way to sit and be thankful for the blessings in our lives, it's not enough to limit our gratitude to a single meal. Thanksgiving is much more than a day of football, a New York parade, a busy kitchen, and a table full of food, it is a way of life.

Before moving away to college, there were many things I took for granted. Family, friends, home-cooked meals, and the quirkiness of "home" as a whole. Distance has shown me the everyday blessings in my life and how to celebrate Thanksgiving 365 days a year.

"Give Thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever."
1 Chronicles 16:34