"But Charlie Brown, it's Thanksgiving."

Turkey time is upon us. We have a few Thanksgiving traditions in our household that I look forward to: Carrot Casserole, the "Thanksgiving Movie" after dinner, watching/laughing at the the dog show that airs after the parade with my youngest sister, trying to get the stereo system to work before dinner, and the annual pie baking contest. I've got a smile on my face just thinking about the smell of stuffing and turkey that fills the kitchen on Thursday morning. Yummers.

This year Thanksgiving is more about family then ever. It's the first time my sisters, brother, and parents will have been together since the summer. There's a lot to be thankful for this year, and I'm looking forward to taking this time to relax and eat before the surgery (which is one week from Thursday!!!).

Last week, I was channel surfing (and thinking about pumpkin pie) when I came across A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. I stopped to watch and good ol' Marcie reminded me and "Charles" of something really important (after a Thanksgiving dinner seemed like it was ruined):

But Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. You heard what Linus was saying out there. Those early Pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them, and we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that's what they mean by 'Thanksgiving,' Charlie Brown.

There have been countless days where I've felt like Charlie Brown and I just can't "kick the ball". I just wanted to give up and yell "Arghh!!!", but then the Marcies in my life appeared to offer some words of wisdom (or a laugh) and gave me the gusto to try again and "whip my hair" as they say.

Having Crohn's disease has not been easy but it's taught me to appreciate all the good moments in life where illness goes away for a little. My family has helped me through so much but they also remind me that I'm more than this disease. There's a part of my spirit that pain cannot touch, and you have to cherish the times where you can allow yourself to escape what ails you...like a Thanksgiving dinner at home with the ones you love.