Holidays offer time for introspection on family, friends

Two days until one of my favorite holidays: Thanksgiving.

If you’re one of my regular readers (and I realize that I’m talking to two people here … hi Mom and Dad!), you’ll know that the reasons I like Thanksgiving have to do with the napping, food and football. But there is a more important, underlying reason behind all the turkey and pumpkin pie: thankfulness (get it? THANKSgiving?).

I don’t know about you, but at my house at Thanksgiving dinner, my mom would always make us go around the table and tell everyone what we were particularly thankful for that year. I would always try to make some wisecrack, saying what I was most thankful for was the release of "Clerks" on DVD, or, when I was younger, Michelangelo of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

But this year is different. For the first time in my life, I’ll have something serious to say when I’m asked what I’m thankful for. Actually, I’ll have two things — Heather and Jeremy, my younger sister and brother.

This past year has been one of many changes for the three of us. Our parents, after 20 some odd years of marriage, were divorced in the first part of the year. And while your parents divorcing during your early adulthood is much easier to cope with than it would be if you were younger, it’s still quite a change from what you’ve grown accustomed to.

If you’ve ever had to deal with something like divorce, you know that one of the first things you do is cling to something stable and unchanging. I think Heather and Jeremy looked to me a lot in the past year as someone they could talk to and look to for support. But at the same time, they helped me through the situation through their own strength and compassion.

They are two of the most amazing people I know, and I’m proud to say that they’re my siblings.

Heather is the social butterfly of our family. She’s a freshman here at Purdue (a "liberal artist," but we won’t hold that against her), and she’s definitely the one in our family with the most "people skills." It’s a rarity that I see her not smiling, and when I’m having a bad day, she’s definitely the first person I call up. She has an enormous amount of empathy for people, and a true caring nature that is hard to find anymore. Plus, she has this odd sixth sense about bringing over cookies or some other food when I’m broke and starving. Though I may give her some grief in my columns, she’s the best sister anyone could have. And yes, I’m willing to put money on that.

Jeremy is a sophomore at Pendleton Heights, and just celebrated his 16th birthday last week. Jeremy is the most athletic in the family (he runs cross country and track) and also the one with the best sense of humor (SOMEONE in the family has to have it … it certainly isn’t me, but that’s pretty obvious from my columns). The thing I most respect about Jeremy (and most envy, too) is his work ethic. Though he can be selective in the use of it, when something really matters to him, he will work as hard as anyone I know to achieve whatever goal he sets before himself. Whether it is shaving a few seconds off his cross country time, or improving his grades, Jer seems to be able to pull off whatever he sets his mind to. He displays an enormous amount of maturity for his age, but still has the youthful exuberance that a high school sophomore should have. He’s a dreamer, always thinking bigger than anyone else, always planning the impossible, and I hope that he never loses that quality.

I suppose the best lesson I’ve learned in the past year has been that, even in the worst of situations, good can be found. This past year, I grew closer to my brother and sister, and for that I’m thankful.

You two are the greatest, and I’m so proud of you.

I just want you both to know that I love you very much, and that if you ever need me, I’ve got your back. If you ever need a place to crash, my door is always open. And though my income places me well below the poverty line (at least until I graduate and get a decent job), if you ever need anything at all, just ask.

And, though I may sit at Thanksgiving dinner and say the thing that I’m most thankful for this year is Mark Grace winning a World Series (even if it wasn’t with the Cubbies), know that I’m really thinking of you.

To the rest of you, I apologize for the emotion. But I urge you to think of that one person that has made life just a bit more bearable, or helped you cling to that last bit of sanity, and give them a hug and a thank you this Thanksgiving.

Have a safe holiday, and the safe bets are on Denver and Green Bay.

Matt Poston is a sophomore in the School of Management who is also thankful for his friends and the greatest dog in the world, Shelby. He can be reached at opinions@purdueexponent.org

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