As Thanksgiving stumbles back into the holiday season, I find myself feeling differently than I ever have at this point during this particular time of year. Before college, I spent my Thanksgiving holidays helping my momma cook and wondering about the future I'd have at college. Now that I'm at Longwood University with a semi-stable sense of what my future will be, I look forward to this festive holiday for much more than food this year.

Now let's be real here. The majority of Thanksgiving popularity relies on the food, at least in my mind. When I get home, I'm going to help momma make all of the special foods that resemble our own personal meanings of what Thanksgiving is like, our stuffing with sausage and peppers. Helping my momma cook at home is such a calming experience that we share together, and I always cherish and look forward to whatever spontaneous recipe idea that she finds next. If anything, cooking is a special pastime for my momma and I at any time of the year, not just on Turkey Day. Food culminates the main essence and substance of Thanksgiving for most people, but this year, I am very thankful for a multitude of people that stretches beyond the dinner table.

Celebrating holidays of any kind always serves some form of sentiment no matter what. In my case, I am more thankful for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day because I have so much more that I am thankful for at this point in my life. With all of the new college friends I have, I am thankful to know them and have the capability of being thankful for their existence in my world. On the other hand, I am even more thankful for my momma back home because of being away at college as well. Momma and all the other people that I love back home have been distanced from me, which can be healthy for most true human connections that matter. Although college is as amazing and crazy as I hoped, I sometimes find myself missing people like my momma, so going home will show and bless me with the company I've been missing.

The family meaning of Thanksgiving never fully resonated within me until this year, and I am also very thankful to be so aware of who and what I have in my life. I cannot wait to go home for Thanksgiving break because there is so much to cook and catch up on. Don't get me wrong. The food at my dinner table is of supreme importance for my Thanksgiving dinner, but the fact that I'll get to spend a little quality time with my momma makes everything a little bit sweeter.