Thanksgiving is the time of year when we are always reminded, especially growing up, that it's a time to be grateful for the good things around us. It's a pretty repetitive lesson that we are taught, but that comes with good reason. This is taught to us at such a young age and we have heard it time and time again. The older I get the more I understand and appreciate why.

Sometimes we dread family gatherings that may seem like a chore. We may rather be out with friends, or even just at home watching Netflix. Everyone is guilty of feeling that way sometimes. As I grow, I begin to understand more why certain lessons were repeated to us so many times when we were younger. A big one of those is being appreciative on holidays.

Reminding my family that I love them is something I try to do with my immediate family every day, and with extended family as much as I can. Although this is not something everyone thinks to do all the time, I think we should make a better effort to get into that habit.

Once you hit a certain age, responsibilities are not something we can run away from and that causes a lot of stress and pressure. Bringing an entire family together is not easy for everyone, so when we have the opportunity, we must make the most of it. We all are dealing with it, so it's important to come together and for just one night, put aside the negative stress and energy that comes with all that responsibility and lean on one another. Tell each other how much we love one another and show our appreciation because we don't know when we no longer will be able to do so.

Last October, my uncle passed away which was devastating and shook our family to the core. We all wish we had gotten to remind him of all the love we have for him, even though I know he knew. Uncle Greg, I wish I could have just one more conversation. One more hug. One more moment to tell you how much I love you.

Hug your family tight this Thanksgiving. Tell them, again and again, all the love you have for them. Not everyone has people in their life who they can lean on, or an opportunity to bring each other together and express their love. So if you do, please show them that, and Happy Thanksgiving!