You know, there are many reasons why I shouldn’t like Thanksgiving. Even before I became a vegetarian, I never liked turkey. Or stuffing. Or the way that, after the meal, the men always end up in the living room watching football while the women are in the kitchen cleaning up. Or being stuck at the ‘little kids’ table when I was already at the dignified age of nine. At that same age, I was also known to loudly discuss the irony of a holiday thanking the Native Americans for saving European settlers who promptly turned around and stole their land and lives, much to my mother’s embarassment.

But in defiance of all that, I still love Thanksgiving. Because it’s really about celebrating closeness. It’s a holiday when we invite relative strangers to come have dinner, just because the thought of someone alone on Thanksgiving is unacceptable. It’s a holiday when we at least call our friends and family, to catch up on what’s going on, and when, if we’re lucky, we trek across the country to see them face-to-face.

And even more than that, it’s a holiday that makes us stop and think about what we have to be grateful for in our lives. I’ve been doing that quite a bit lately; during October, I experienced depression for the first time in my life. I’m not really sure what brought it on or what made it leave, but it left me with profound respect for anyone struggling with a mental illness on a regular basis. It also made me see my life differently, and I’ve become profoundly appreciative of all the big and small blessings that surround me. What’s more, I’ve begun voicing that appreciation.

So, I’d like to take a moment to thank all of the people who make up this book blogging community. I think it reflects the best characteristics of humanity: curiousity, friendliness, warmth, humour. We welcome new members with open arms, we support each other through the rough times and congratulate each other during the good, all while feeding our love for books and reading. That’s damn impressive.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!