This week, my friends and I celebrated Friendsgiving. The question I am asking myself now is “Why have we never celebrated Friendsgiving before?” It was a night filled with food, friends, laughter, great times and great memories. As seniors in college, most of us will be in all different areas of the U.S. next year pursuing the careers we have studied so hard to hope to have after graduation. These are the moments that we will look back on next year, in 3 years, in 7 years, in 10 years and for years to come and wish we could go back.

Friendsgiving brought together a group of people some of whom who have been friends since move in day freshman year, and some who didn’t meet until they walked in the door. Even so, everyone got along and I would say that everyone had a great time. I don’t think there was a time that everyone in the room wasn’t smiling. Okay, there was one exception…when the red wine got spilled. But even then, a little tide to go made everything better and it was back to having a great night. There were endless amounts of food, and I don’t think I have ever had so many leftovers packed into my fridge even after sending so many home with other people. We got to have a taste of each other’s family thanksgiving as many people brought traditional dishes that they eat with their families on thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a time of year to for gratitude, reflection, celebration and peace. It is time to be thankful for what you are lucky to have and experience in life. Most of us do this when we get together with our families. But not only should we be thankful for our families, but also for our friends. They are the ones who help us as we struggle through all of the difficulties of college. They are the ones who go to class with us day in and day out and are there to vent about how difficult Dr. Smith’s class is and how much you wish you never took the class. They are there to watch movies on a Tuesday night instead of studying for your 8am test. They are there to help you make the decision of whether you should stay in and write your 10 page paper or go out on a Saturday night. Most of all, they are become your family when your family is 1 or 2 or 5 or 10 or 20 hours away.