MARIA MAGDELEINA

I’m sure you heard someone or yourself say something like: “I’ve been going through a lot lately…” before. Yes, we all do, and sometimes, when it’s too much, we forget our loved ones, our blessings, ourselves, as if the Thanksgiving long weekend is so necessary, as a crucial reminder to be grateful. This year, Thanksgiving was personally quite different than what I’m used to. It made me realize that life isn’t as bad as it seems, it’s only I who feel too much when I’m going through a lot. There’s nothing wrong with feeling too much (meaning being too sensitive), but it makes me forget that everything is actually ok.

I am therefore

thankful for the best parents ever, even if I’m quite stubborn and often disobedient (sorry by the way :P).

thankful for every member of my family, whether parent, cousin, uncle, aunt, or new-born: even if we don’t see each other as often as we’d like, I love you more than you’ll ever know.

thankful for my best friends. 10 years and still growing and becoming the women we dream to be, women whom we wish were on TV or in magazines when we were younger.

thankful for being able to still witness innocence around me although I live in a world and in a time where the knowledge of evil blurs my vision.

thankful for sleeping in a comfortable bed, wearing comfortable clothes, and living a stable, comfortable life even when anxiety distracts me from remembering it.

thankful to fill my tummy with warm, delicious food like the turkey I had on Saturday and other meals not everyone has the chance to eat.

thankful for God offering me gifts and talents even if the outside world fails to see it.

thankful for God granting me success although my book doesn’t sell.

thankful for having articles published and for having met many artists and public figures I had the chance to interview. I’m honoured to have met or spoken to each and one of you.

thankful for knowing how to read and write. I can’t imagine my life without pens or books.

thankful for being surrounded by art because every piece of art is like an open door to conversation and reflection, and I believe it is essential to push our minds to think at all times, as much as we breathe.

thankful for living in a peaceful country that may not be perfect, in which we still might find racism, violence, or discrimination, but it’s one of the best countries we have in the world.

thankful for being multi-ethnic in one way or another.

thankful for being a woman of colour in the arts. The struggle and the hard work is worth every effort and time and energy invested. Plus, there’s nothing more satisfying than being surrounded by other strong intellectual women who are hustling as much.

thankful for knowing more than two languages and for discovering new countries and their culture. Plus, thank God for airplanes, boats, trains, and cars. Traveling is everything.

thankful for knowing all kinds of people and their passions. I know I’m not alone and I’m so glad that our world is coloured by amazing people.

thankful for amazing weekends with my family like visiting the breathtaking MosaïCanada 150 in Gatineau, a horticultural event (ending next weekend by the way!!). More info here. I RECOMMEND YOU TO GO BEFORE IT ENDS!!

thankful for unfathomable views and bright colourful sunsets (or sunrises). I can’t believe how natural these sorts of beauty are. Oh, and also thankful for the weather, whether it’s indecisive or not.

 

thankful for the lessons learned and the heartbreaks even if regrets tend to haunt me at night, whether keeping me up, or appearing in nightmares. If anything, they bring me back to humility.

thankful for the Church, from whom I need comfort and kindness desperately.

thankful for being myself even if I have no idea who I am, at all, or who God wants me to be.

thankful for God’s love because when He could only see the bad in us, He still chooses to disregard it and just see the good.

thankful for so much more. I guess the list will never end because there’s always something to smile about every single day.

Happy thanksgiving and God bless you.