A Thankful Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and it's been 4 years since I've celebrated the holiday.

I've spent a long time away from my friends and family back home, and as the years continue to roll away from me I can't deny there is a small tug starting to pull my heart strings back 'West'.

However, I'm not ready to pack my bags just yet. I have some unfinished business to attend to here in Thailand, and that is not changing overnight.

I have many things to be thankful for this year; many of which surround the life-changing events that led me to being a full-time volunteer here at Baan Unrak. I have my arms filled with loving kids everyday, so I'm not feeling particularly lonely this year (I have in the past suffered some terribly lonely holidays while living overseas.) I am not short of food or money (yet!), and I have somehow kept a 'relatively' healthy body despite the virus that's been choosing its victims at random within the Children's Home the past few weeks!

Above all, I have, for the first time in a very long time, a true connection with myself. I wake up every morning with a clear knowledge of what I am doing today, where I am going with my life, and what goals I hope to achieve over the next few months. And every night I go to sleep knowing I lived my day exactly how I intended to...Fully.

I guess the biggest thanks I would like to give is to my family and best friends back home and abroad. I have finally found a 'true North'; a true direction in my life worth pursuing and it would not be possible for me to dedicate my time and energy to this community development project, nor to the good for the kids here at Baan Unrak if I didn't have such a strong and loving support system around me. I feel like I can fly these days, and I am not afraid of falling because I know once my ass hits the ground...you'll all be around to help pick me back up again.

I'm also thankful for the blessed opportunity Didi Devamala from the Baan Unrak Home is giving me this December. She has asked me to follow a group of 15 kids traveling with her to Singapore and Malaysia, where she has been invited to a special retreat. Some of her kids were lucky enough to receive Thai passports this year, and with a little bit of my help we will make a traveling yoga/dance troupe out of them and have them perform in various cities in an attempt to generate fundraising and awareness for our Home. Stay tuned, I'll be posting more about the performances in the next coming weeks!

What are you thankful for this year?

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays!