*I wrote this four years ago. It came up as a memory on the Facebook. Since Thanksgiving is upon us I thought I’d share it again

I don’t really cook.
 
Scratch that.
 
I don’t cook.
 
Occasionally I will bake things that look really nice and taste just as good. Sometimes I make beans and I don’t burn them. Other times I manage to make spaghetti. 
 
I know what you’re thinking, “HOW IN THE HELL DO YOU BURN BEANS? YOU ONLY HAVE TO BOIL THEM.”  Oh my friends. If you only knew. I once burned the spaghetti. You can’t win them all, my little turtledoves. You can’t win them all.
 
I digress.
 
It’s Thanksgiving, a holiday that makes me so happy that I’m ‘Merican. Trust me, rest of the world, you are missing out.
 
I’m sitting in the kitchen smelling the turkey I just put in the oven (but did not prepare, putting it in the oven is the only thing I could be trusted to do) and watching the parade. There’s cajeta boiling on the stove because I learned the hard way, last night, that I do not know how to make praline topping the way the Pilsbury cookbook told me to. It’s okay though.
 
And as I watch a bunch of overly excited elementary school students dance to a song about Santa being real or something I realize I’m supposed to be reflecting on what I’m thankful about.
 
I know there are those people who like to ruin Thanksgiving by moaning, “you’re supposed to be thankful every day.” And all I can think is, “shut up, nobody asked you to talk.”
 
Because let’s face it. Sometimes life just gets in the way of gratitude.
 
There’s work, and chores, and responsibility, and those family members and friends that just annoy the heck out of you, and bad hair days, and traffic tickets, and inconsiderate people and too much traffic, and accidents, and paperwork, and burnt food, and sleepless nights, and prolonged hospital stays, and everything else that keeps us too busy to even want to say thank you to anyone.
 
So I think that it’s wonderful that on every fourth Thursday of November we, as a nation, together, say, “stop, collaborate and listen– er… give thanks.” Or something to that extent. I’m sorry, I use any opportunity to keep Vanilla Ice relevant. 
 
And when I’m feeling low and sad I forget that I have so much to be thankful for. But rather than bore you with a long list of things you probably don’t care about I’ll tell you the two that are always at the forefront of my mind.
 
I thank God for my family, extended and immediate. For my parents who are supportive of me in everything that I do and for my wonderful sisters, with whom I have a freakishly close bond. I’m thankful that even though they say I followed them home from the monkey zoo, they decided to keep me.
 
And then there’s my adoptive family. My friends, near and far. They say you can’t choose your family but you can choose your friends. And I’m so happy that they chose me. And even when I’m crochety and moody and mean they still love me for some reason. What would I do without you guys? Probably sing less karaoke…
 
So on this day full of nummy nums and warm feelings, I hope you are gathering ’round the table with those who mean the most to you, getting ready to stuff yourself till your pants burst at the seams.
 
And I hope that you remember that no matter what, you are loved and there is nothing I can think of to be more thankful for.