This Thanksgiving, it’s hard not to miss my family up in Columbus. This is my first major holiday with my parents and sister thousands of miles away and me living “on my own”. I’m missing the family traditions of watching parades, dinner, family games and chatting with my extended family into the night with cups of steaming coffee.

It’s so easy to focus on the bad, and completely overlook the good – and the great.

I am working at Walt Disney World and participating in an incredible opportunity. I have food on my table, a place to call home, a job, friends and family in Ohio … and a new family in Florida.

It’s so easy in today’s world to focus on the bad and the negative. I don’t have the newest clothes, I don’t make the most money, I’m stressed about the future, I’m figuring out my post-grad life, I’m away from my immediate family.

And how do you deal with this stress and remember your blessings? You take a step back and look at the big picture – that’s right, in today’s world where you’re expected to check your phone and email constantly, I’m taking a step back and looking at everything…

..and boy, am I blessed.

I’m blessed that I have a family that loves me and supports me from thousands of miles away, friends that love me, and a new Orlando family that supports me from right across the street. I am blessed to have my health, including the ability to walk around the parks, explore and interact, a luxury that not all hold. I’m blessed to have heat (or AC depending on Orlando’s mood) that allows me to live comfortably. I’m blessed to have food when I’m hungry, and the ability to splurge on silly things like Starbucks and ice-cream when I’m out with friends.

This Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday I vow to focus on the positive, and this fabulous adventure I experience everyday. I am learning who I am as a person, what are my true values, who are my rocks of strength and my closest friends, and what direction I want to head in life.

Blessings come in all shapes and sizes – and it’s important to remember them all. The greatest blessings don’t come in shopping bag (which is hard for me to remember) but memories and happiness.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and are excitedly preparing for the Christmas and holiday season. Stay tuned for posts about Christmas at Disney, shopping on a budget and my first Christmas out of Ohio.