Too Happy to be Homesick: Gratitude Is Not Only the Greatest of Virtues, but Also the Parent of all Others

Trying to comprehend the amount of gratitude I feel now a days is one of the largest tasks I am facing.

“You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life.” – Sarah Ban Breathnach

I have always been grateful for all of the things in my life, but somehow I missed expressing it as much as I could. As the holidays are coming to an end, I have made a list of thank yous for all of the people that have made this a wonderful Christmas season, even from as far as 6,800 km away.

Firstly, Thank you Toshi for the wonderful Christmas card, it was such a nice gesture and I couldn’t have been happier to open it.

Thank you Marjo, Timo, Moona, Peetu, and Minttu for including me in your family for Christmas this year. I was so excited to spend the holidays with your families and experience a traditional Finnish Christmas, and I had an amazing time, so thank you again.

Thank you to my Rotary Club here in Finland, I loved the Christmas gift and it was so nice to see you all before the Christmas holidays, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and I can’t wait to see you in the new year.

Thank you to my friends back home (Hailey and Madi) I am so happy to know that you are thinking of me, I loved the gifts, but I promise that I waited until Christmas to open them. Love you guys and I hope you had a Merry Christmas.

Thank you Grandma Fran, Grandpa Gord, Grandma Monica and Grandpa Tony for the Christmas gifts as well, also waited until Christmas to open them, they were lovely and I am happy to know that you guys are also thinking of me. Sending hugs and lots of love your way for Christmas.

Thank you Katja, Tiia, and your family for taking me to Iso-Syöte, the weather was cold (-28°C) but we made the best of it and I had an amazing time skiing with you guys.

Thank you Letícia and your host family for taking me to Ruka for New Years Eve, it was so nice to get to know your family and I hope we can all meet again soon.

Thank you Karrington, Taylor and Liam for the endless laughter you have given me, I miss you guys a lot, especially during Christmas time, but all of the snapchats, facebook pictures and texts lifted my spirits.

Lastly, thank you Mom and Dad. Thank you for the amazing cut out of my face, that you have been taking photos of, in Disneyworld. These photos make my day and let me know that you are thinking of me while I am so far away. Thank you for being incredible role models and always supporting my goals and dreams. Thank you for encouraging me to strive to do my best and for constantly reminding me of the things that are truly important. I never showed my appreciation for all that you guys have sacrificed for me, but just know that I wouldn’t be the girl I am today without you two.

I remember, just like every other kid, saying to myself “When I grow up I won’t be anything like my parents…”. Boy was I wrong. I find myself singing songs that I don’t know the words to and then realizing “I sound like my Dad right now”. Whenever I feel like I have a lot of things to do I make a “to do” list with my post-it notes; my mom used to do this for me whenever I was stressed, which was more often than I would like to admit.

So as we all think “I’ll be nothing like my parents”, we eventually grow up, and as for me I’ve had a change of heart. If I turn out anything like my parents, I would be exceedingly proud to possess some of the remarkable traits that they do. So I guess what I'm trying to say is: thank you for being you.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

With thanks and appreciation,

Mackie