As I look forward to the long Thanksgiving break coming up, I think it’s very important to reflect on why we celebrate the holiday. We often overlook all the reasons to be thankful, and we tend to focus solely on the bad things happening around the world and in our own lives as well. There are plenty of reasons to be thankful in my life, but family is definitely on the top of my list.

I was lucky enough to grow up with a large family. I had two older brothers and two older sister to play with and keep me company for most of my life. Growing up with them by my side, I always had good role models and teachers. I also knew that I had four people that I could go to for anything. When we were younger, there were times when we didn’t all get along, but that hasn’t affected our relationships now at all. I’m eternally grateful for my siblings and the role they’ve played in shaping my life. Despite the disagreements and the fights we went through growing up, I know I’d be lost without the support system I have in my siblings.

I grew up with a very loving mother who supported me in anything I wanted to do in life. We weren’t extremely well-off in terms of money, but she still sacrificed a lot to make her kids happy. She wanted us to be able to do anything we put our minds to, and with five kids that’s very hard to do. She would often come home from a long day of work, make dinner right away, and leave to take one of us to whatever after-school activity we had that day. She gave up a lot just so we could be happy, and I hope to be half of the mother to my kids that she was.

My dad was someone I could always lean on for a laugh growing up. No matter what I was going through, I knew a joke from him had me laughing immediately. I remember him leaving to go out of town and dictating which one of us would take over the role of “dad” while he was gone. We always argued no matter who he picked. I am very thankful for the sense of humor he’s instilled in me. He taught me that not everything in life needs to be so serious, and that it’s okay to laugh at yourself sometimes.

I am so grateful for everyone in my family, and I honestly couldn’t imagine my life without a single one of them. I know that there’s so much going on around the world to worry about, but this Thanksgiving remember to take a step back and tell those around you just how much they mean to you.