The holidays are quickly approaching, and there is much to be thankful for. All too often, however, we tend to praise the material things in life rather than the people around us and the blessings we receive.

Living in the Wexford bubble, we grow accustomed to their privileges and neglect to observe the world around us. Naively, we assume our lives here are normal, but in reality, most of us occupy the upper echelon of society. Rather than giving thanks for the opportunities we have, or for the people who love us, we praise our material goods and take for granted the blessings awarded to us.

Living in NA not only means we reside in a fairly wealthy area but also that we have access to an excellent education system with a vast array of opportunities. However, it’s often the case that what you hear in the hallways are complaints — complaints about teachers, complaints about family, complaints about friends, complaints about classes, and complaints about the school in general.

Of course, not every NA student has rich parents, nice houses, or abundant resources. In fact, some of our classmates need to utilize the free meal plan at school and can’t afford luxuries like i-Phones, laptops, or even school supplies. Some might not have family or a consistent roof over their heads. However, these students are in the minority here, and even such students should feel lucky to have NA resources at their disposal.

North Allegheny, along with being a reputable school, allots a large amount of its budget to its students. According to the district website, its per-pupil expenditure is $17,882, compared to the state average which is $13,884 and the national average of $10,700 (source: The Washington Post). Not even Pine-Richland, the so-called “rich-kid school,” spends as much on its students. Despite this, many NA students decide to squander these opportunities, perhaps because growing up here causes them to become used to the advantages they have. Many people would give anything for the privileges we have but will never acquire them for themselves, yet we think nothing of them.

Again, growing up as we do, we lose sight of the fact that others do not live in the same manner. Obviously, we know poverty exists around us, but it is not constantly present in our minds. For the most part, people living in this area have parents who love them and friends to spend time with. However, in general, we do not thank these people enough.

My pen pal, whom I have written to for eleven years, yearns every day for a family and struggles with friendships. She is an orphan in Haiti, which is the seventeenth poorest country in the world and a sex-trafficking hub. Our lives could not be more different. While I have four parents who love me, she has zero that she lives with, and as a result of her parents’ abandonment, she has trust issues, feels very sensitive, and fears the loss of my friendship if I don’t reply to her quickly enough. To top it all off, as a teenaged girl living in Haiti, there always remains the chance of men taking advantage her.

In spite of all of this, she remains grateful for every blessing and has become one of the most loving people I know. Unfortunately, most of the surrounding community live less fortunate lives than she does. On my mission trip to Haiti, I met these people, and they give more love than I ever thought possible. Why, then, can’t we do the same? We have much more to be thankful for, and it is about time to show it.

Therefore, as you go into this Thanksgiving, keep all of this in mind. Whether you are part of the privileged, the impoverished, or somewhere in the middle, cherish the blessings your life contains, be thankful, and go eat your turkey.