As the Thanksgiving holiday takes place this weekend, it’s always an opportunity to reflect on the things that we have to be grateful for.

I definitely have a long list of things that I am thankful for and it’s good to remember them every single day.

What I am most thankful for in my life is my boyfriend Noel. We have been together for a long time and we have been through a lot together as a couple. He is my rock and is always completely supportive of me. He also puts up with my moments of craziness, which of course is a bonus!

I’m very thankful for our fur-baby Jackson. He is a West Highland Terrier and is the light of our lives. He makes us want to get out more and have fun, take a nice evening walk or play in our backyard. We are very lucky to have him in our family.

I’m thankful for my family. I am blessed to have a wonderful mother who has become one of my best friends and who I can always trust and confide in. I also have a dad who looks out for me and helps in any way he can.

I have a younger brother who always makes me laugh with his goofiness and a younger sister who shares the same interests as I do and we are happy to bake or cook together.

I’m also lucky to have Noel’s family. His mom and dad have always been accepting, loving and supportive of me and his sister and her husband have done the same as well.

I’m very thankful for my two nieces and one nephew. I love being around them and to see the world through their eyes is a very special thing and something that I always cherish. I feel like a very lucky auntie to have them in my life.

I’m also very lucky to have amazing friends in my life. Two ladies come to the top of my mind as they are my closest and dearest friends.

My friend Danielle and I have been best friends since junior high. Her and I share a really special friendship and bond – even so much so that we always coincidentally order the same meal when we go out to eat or even get our hair cut the same way without knowing.

My friend Luisa and I met at SAIT in Calgary when we were both in journalism school. She is a very warm and caring person and I feel like my life wouldn’t be the same without her. She is a very special person and I am so lucky to have her in my life.

I am of course thankful to have a job that I love going to every day. I look forward to being out in the community, attending different functions and meeting new people.

We should also all be thankful to have a wonderful City and country to live in. We are very lucky to have an abundance of food in our pantries and warm homes to go to. We should be especially thankful for these things given countries like Africa where thousands of people are dying due to starvation.

I am grateful for people like Amanda Lindhout, who through her own adversities takes it upon herself to reach out to the people in the very country she was kidnapped in and spent the darkest 15 months of her life. She is helping to feed thousands of people in Somalia who otherwise would die of starvation.

So as we enjoy this Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends, remember how lucky and fortunate we are. We are truly blessed.

efawcett@reddeerexpress.com