The world didn't end. It's Christmas time. The high on Christmas in Florence, AL is 63 degrees.

I've got everything that I need and more than I could ever want and in two days, I'll be getting more. 

It's sad, really. I would love to have one year where instead of giving/getting Christmas presents to/from friends and family... everyone gave to people in need. I know that I'll wake up in two days and will not have taken any action in going through with what I just said. I'm writing this so that I will remember this desire next year, when the Christmas season rolls back around in its overwhelming, typical tangle of Christmas lights and joy and my mom starts asking me to make a list of things that I want. 

I'll wake up in two days at my grandparent's house. I will have just shared a bed with my younger brother, but I most likely will not have minded it. Other than his feet somehow digging their way up underneath my hips. But, I'll wake up. I'll throw the covers off and feel the warmth that comes from having a house with top-notch insulation. I'll run into the room that my mother will be sleeping in and I'll wake her up and together, we will wake up every other member of my family in the house. I will be one of the people in the world fortunate enough to have family close by. I will hug each of them good morning. We will all be in a sleepy daze as we talk about breakfast, and just how much bacon we should cook. My older brother will turn the heat down, because he will be too warm.

Not far away, and in so many parts of the world...there will be parents who don't have presents for their children. There will be girls my age seeking shelter from the severe thunderstorms that are supposed to pound the south on that day and her toes will be sticking through the tips of her socks and her shoes will have holes in them. There will be people who are hungry. There will be people who are sad. There will be people who are cold. There will be people who are alone.

This Christmas, I vow to be thankful for the things that I take for granted. I vow to take note of the way that my socks fit my feet in a way that assures warmth. I vow to slip on my shoes and be thankful that they fit and are free of holes. I vow to hug each family member for an extra two seconds. I vow to savor every bite and be thankful for the opportunities that are presented to me on that day. I vow to be aware of every sensation, every emotion, every thought, every decision, and I vow to be thankful for each one.