The greatest time of year is just at our fingertips.

The air is getting crisper and the leaves are floating from their branches to under our toes.

Until this past Thursday, we spent hours looking for the perfect costume, and asking who we would dress up with.

However, spooky season is now behind us and we have once again entered into a period of seasonal downtime.

With Thanksgiving just three weeks away, we all are in a grace period between stuffing our faces with Halloween treats and stuffing our faces with tryptophan.

If you are sane, it’s still too early for Christmas celebrations.

While the spooky season is behind us and Christmas is too far in front of us, I suggest we use this time as a way to reflect on the purpose of the holiday season in between, Thanksgiving.

It’s never too soon to reflect on the things and people you are thankful for in your life.

While some associate Thanksgiving with a feast, others, like myself, respect this holiday for its purpose of being thankful.

As we all know, we are entering the final weeks in 2019.

Before we know it, it’ll be a new decade.

We are leaving behind this time in our lives and are fully transitioning into adulthood.

For example, some of us may be getting engaged and getting married, or be searching for a first career job.

Many of us are awaiting more big changes and fully accepting the fact that we are now stepping into our roles as the up-and-coming generation.

With these last few weeks before us, we should be taking a step back from our busy lifestyles, counting our blessings and being grateful for all of the things we have.

Many, if not all of us should be grateful for our family, without them we would not be alive, or be the people we are today.

What about pets, the companions our whole hearts revolve around?

What about partners, the people we fell in love with and who we may consider our other half?

Or what about our enemies or the people we left behind?

We should even be grateful for them because they made us realize our worth or helped us see that we should never fully trust someone until we see their true colors.

Lastly, what about this amazing university we are all united by?

While I may still be a fresh face on campus, I know that this school is nothing short of heaven away from home.

It’s a place where for the first time in my life I feel at home.

For the first time in many years, I feel accepted by my peers and I am grateful because this university has helped me realize that the sky’s the limit for my dreams.

I hope all of you are thankful for the Hurst in one way if not a million.

We are all on this campus for a reason and thankfully, we are all here together.

I am fortunate to have a great home back in Cleveland, Ohio where my family remains working hard and making sure I am always on the right foot.

I am grateful for furry companions Buster (“Bubby”) and my other pets.

They are the reason I miss home daily and why my friends are sick of me being a broken record of “ I miss my Bubby” at least a million times a day.

I am fortunate to have made an amazing group of friends here at Mercyhurst and yet, still have a handful of friends back in Cleveland and at other schools all over the place.

I am grateful for my long-time partner with whom I have been for almost three years now.

He has seen me at my best and worst and I love him with my whole heart.

I am thankful for my talents and ambitions and I can’t wait to turn those things into potential careers for myself.

Lastly, I am utterly thankful that I am here at Mercyhurst.

I am beyond grateful to call Hurst my home away from home, and I am so excited for all of the adventures ahead.

Within the coming weeks, most of us are getting ready to go home and be with our families again.

I believe we should use that time away to appreciate the people we have in our lives. In this era, we are too busy planning for the future, losing the moments we are living now.

However, I believe all of that can change if we take a step back and appreciate all of the amazing things in our lives.

And with Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s the perfect opportunity for us to take a step back and reflect on our lives and our blessings.