I never knew what Thanksgiving Day was for. All I knew was that Americans treat it as a much bigger celebration than Christmas. And that you eat a poor turkey for dinner.

Consequently, when I asked my American co-workers to explain to me the meaning of this affair, they replied in shock. Why, don't you in the Philippines celebrate Thanksgiving? I said, no. We have All Saint's Day in November and Christmas in December. Imagine their shock at this travesty. But imagine my shock when I found out that it was to give thanks to the forefathers who helped free America. Right, we should be celebrating your freedom from monstrous British oppression.

It was only later that it evolved into something less American, and more universal, as this country is now a melting pot of cultures. These days, it also symbolizes giving thanks to anything and everything one should be grateful for.

So since I am here, and since I am forced to celebrate Thanksgiving day (no work, no malls, no nothing today!) I might as well write a Gratitude list to all the people/animals I am thankful for.

***

My Family
Ours is a common tribe. We may not live in the inner Philippine jungles, we may be clothed in the finest our meager moolah can buy, we may be too 21st century to be called a tribe, but still the Salem-Almoite family still functions as a tribe. A clan. We follow tradition, we respect and consider the decision of our elders, we move together, stay together, bond together. Well, more like we're stuck together. That's what I love about this family. Our cousins are like a big barkada. Eternal cousins!!! It's just not the same without being together. So I'm thankful that I belong in a family that first and foremost taught me the value of having a family. Squabbles are everywhere, misunderstandings strain the fiber sometimes but at the end of the day, we come home to our big and beautiful family.

My Cheekyboy
It's human instinct to find human companionship far beyond mere friendship. It's the way of the world. You will always find yourself in a situation where you want to know if there's anyone out there who fits with you. This one is my exact opposite. He's an extrovert, I'm an introvert. He's outspoken, I like to keep my thoughts within. He'll explode, I'll implode. He's left, I'm right. He's up, I'm down. And yet dismissing all those facts, it turns out we balance each other. We are not the perfect couple, but who is? Nobody's perfect. Anyone who claims to be are just fooling themselves or are just totally warped. Vincent and I belong in a perfect imperfect union and we rock! I'm thankful to him because more than learning about being in a relationship, I learned about myself. Every single time. And that's the most important thing. For where will we be if we have lost ourselves in the journey? Thank you, Cheekyboy!

My Friends
You meet hundreds, if not thousands of people in your lifetime. Most of them will just pass you by and you can't even remember their names the next day, nevermind their faces the next week. But there are people who make a lasting impression on your life, who touch you, who have connected with you and these are the people who are part of who you are now. As you grow old, you don't spend most of your time with your family. You have to go to work or school. There you spend time with your friends. I'm thankful for these friends from whom I have learned the good, the bad and the ugly-- without going through them myself. I will not declare myself a scarred soldier who have been through many epic battles in my lifetime. I have not. But a lot of my friends have. And from their experience and inspiration, I have learned an awful deal. From their courage, I have spawned courage of my own. Thank you, guys.

My Pets
When I was growing up, I always thought that you will receive in return from what you gave. And then I had my first pet. A white male cat named Keating. This kitty taught me the value of unconditional love. I was a rebellious, confused, struggling teenager then. And everytime I cried, it's as if he hears me and he comes to me to comfort me, as if telling me that everything's going to be fine. And then came a host of other pets, including Buffy and Trining. I believe that having and being able to take care of a pet is a huge responsibility because you have to take care of them, feed them, love them when frankly,it will be hard to compare them with a human companion. With pets, you need to learn to be selfless. Just love them as they are. And when you love them enough, when they're happy, you'll feel happier. Thank you, pets.

My Teachers
I have had many teachers in my lifetime but I'll mention those who have made a great significance to me 23 years of existence. In order of consequence: 1.Mrs. Fronda. 5th Grade. You believed I could shed a tear when all I could do was crumple my face and utter some dramatic words. And because of that you helped me be in that CCP/PETA acting workshop and consequently, the play Bernardo Carpio. You have stirred the creative soul in me. And I never got to thank you. 2.Mrs. Pambid. 6th grade. You steered me in the best direction I could ever find myself in. I thank you for telling me that I know how to write. Thank you for honing my skills. Thank you for training me for all those competitions we both won. We won, Ma'am. We both did. You have changed my life forever just by telling me that you believed I could make it. 3. Miss Barayuga. Freshman High school. I met you at Speech class. It was not a good time for me. I was new, I was troubled and I have made an enemy of myself.But in that school, you were the only person who truly TRULY made me feel special. I was a somebody to you. While you gave everybody else a 78, you gave me a 98. Thank you for recognizing me. 4. Sir Ron. College. More than being ka-berks, you are my most favorite teacher of all time! It's partly because all the subjects you taught were my favorites... but mostly because you taught in the way you knew. And you didn't take any bullshit. Your classes were fun and I had soooo much fun being in them. Thanks! 5. Miss Sayson. College. I love Miss Sayson because I felt that more than a teacher, she is a friend, a psychologist, a listener who would take what you had to give out and have nothing but comfort to offer. You have helped me through my low times in 2004. In ways you never knew. Thank you.

My Lord.
I feel guilty because my views on God and religion is relatively New Age. I believe that religion is merely a human organization. It survives merely through faith. It is disputable that there is a God. People will always dispute his existence. Yet this does not mean that I don't believe in a God. He is everywhere and he is nowhere. I believe that whatever is good and right, must be God. I believe that God, Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Brahma.. I believe all of them are one and the same. They were given many names and yet at the heart of it all, the religions that gave birth to these gods have common goodness at the core. So what's the fuss all about? I thank the God that I believe in that he listens to me and keeps me in a direction that I should be in.

*****

These views are my own. I'm sorry if I offend any of your beliefs. But where I am and where I stand, it's a free world. I can say whatever I want to say. Let's just agree to disagree, shall we?

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS LONG-WINDED ENTRY.