In Everything I Will Give Thanks

Today is Thanksgiving, and while I'm in Italy, a place where this holiday isn't a holiday at all, I've a few things I'd like to say thanks for.
I am thankful for the circumstances which have brought me to this place. I'm thankful for the bad relationships, I'm thankful for the misery. I'm thankful for the uncertainty, the bad grades, the sickness, the bouts of loneliness, the struggles I went through.
I'm thankful, because without the negative aspects of my life, I would not be able to appreciate the positive ones. Without the bad, there is no good.

Today I am thankful for a positive attitude. I'm thankful for my health, I'm thankful for my family. Today, I thank God for where He's brought me. For surrounding me with people I admire, for allowing me to know them. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be here, and for the impact it's had on my life. I'm thankful for my mom, who is always there for me, even when I'm 4,000 miles away. For my dad, who has the uncanny ability to make me laugh. For Tara, whose brilliance and selflessness inspires me, and for Gordon, who shows me that I don't need to have my life planned out to enjoy it. There's of course many more people I thank God for, but I'd need a full length book to name them all.
I thank God that regardless of where I am in my life, I can still thank God.

Today's routine is not much different from any other day here, with the exception of the fact that the restaurant will be serving us their version of an American thanksgiving. I'm not exactly sure what that will entail, but i'm sure it will be good.
Carissa's parents arrived today, and tomorrow we'll be going to Rome with them to hang out and see the Coliseum and whatnot. So that should be fun.

Also, yesterday John scared me and I fell down the stairs a bit and hurt my back. Moral of that story: don't jump out and surprise people. that's how people get hurt.