Gratefulness

The holiday season is not just about gifts and Santa Claus, it’s about being grateful for what you have and recognizing the people who are not as fortunate as some of us. These people include immigrants, the poor, and the wealthy (who sometimes aren’t as nice as others). I am grateful for many things such as a good education, my family, and my safety. I feel deeply sorry for those who don’t have these special and precious gifts.

Education is important in the average girl’s life. For various reasons, I am very grateful I have an education. First, I want to achieve my life goal, to become an Egyptologist and visit all around the world with a magnificent partner. I already know tons due to great teachers and parents. My mom tells me, “One day you will find Nefertiti’s tomb and you’ll be climbing the Alps looking for clues about Otzi.” She has encouraged and supported my every move. Second, I want to attend a very good college. I have one picked out that has an anthropology program, the University of Chicago. The U of C has always been among the top ten schools in the United States. With a good education throughout elementary school, middle school, and high school, I will be going to college and walking along the lake sooner that you can say “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” Third, I am grateful for my education because it provides the knowledge and welfare I need throughout my life and death. Without a good education, I wouldn’t be writing for famous blogs and reading 600-page books. Clearly, I am very grateful for my education and hope I will continue to receive it.

Family is necessary to humankind. I am very grateful I have my mom, my dad, my sister, and two dogs in my life. To start, I am grateful for my family because they provide the love and comfort I need at times. For example, when I was having friendship troubles, my mom let me stay home from school to calm down. When I returned I had gained enough courage to break off a friendship. Next, I am grateful for my puppy, Beaumont, because when I am cold at night he stalks up to me and lies down right against my belly. That tells me he wants to have a belly rub, so I give it to him and in return, he curls up and goes to sleep warming up my chilled body. Third, I am grateful for my dad, Bill, because he runs with me and helps me with my football and soccer skills. When we lived in Phoenix, we would run up to the park and play basketball. When my sister was with us, we rode our bikes and hopped the fence to school. The school playground had many stray balls lying around, so we could play soccer and kickball. On one occasion, my school janitor Mr. Frasier caught us, and we convinced him to play the goalie position in soccer. Obviously, I am very grateful for my family, and my family is very grateful for me.

Safety plays a key role in life, and the majority of the human race does not feel safe at certain times. I am grateful for safety and the walls that protect my family and me. To begin with, I am grateful for safety because without it, I could end up like one of the kids in Connecticut. I feel very sorry for the families having to deal with their children’s death, and I am very glad my school has a good safety program. For example, we have security cameras that catch everyone’s moves, we have teachers monitoring everyone in school, and every visitor has to check in with the office. Additionally, I am grateful for safety because without it, we would be exposed to murderers, thieves, hackers, and kidnappers. For instance, if I had no safety around me, then a kidnapper could easily sneak into my house and whisk me away. Just like Isabel Celis. Finally, I am grateful for safety because when I see pictures of Gabby Giffords and Victoria Soto, I think they had no security, and Victoria sacrificed herself for her students’ safety. And I am thankful to know that my teachers and parents would do anything to keep us safe. To sum up, I am very grateful that I have safety and protection in my life, and I feel dread and fear for those who don’t.

I am grateful for many things such as education, family, and safety. I feel joy that these precious gifts are in my life during the special holiday season. I feel pain and grief for the people who aren’t as fortunate as me during the bitter cold winters at holiday time. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, anything you celebrate and anything you believe, a person deserves to be grateful for just one gift of life. Gratefulness is the joy of the holidays, and beautiful!

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Mason Casper-Milam is eleven years old. She enjoys reading, writing, art, and nature. A Scorpio, she has a pet fish named Aqua and loves to swim, and she also has a puppy named Beaumont. She likes to geocache while hiking with her family and is a voracious reader. She believes all people should be feminist.