Looking Back

“Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.”


-Henry Clay

This week for me was much needed for a while. Not having a game and being here in Buffalo has allowed me to look at my life and have some time to look back on my life.  Last year, we had an away game around Thanksgiving and ended up eating our Thanksgiving Dinner at Cracker Barrel, exactly what I wanted. This year, however, we were actually able to have a Thanksgiving meal. The majority of our team isn’t from here, so we either ate at a teammate’s house or friend’s house. Fortunately for me, Jake Kroll, who is a good friend of mine and the team’s manager, invited me to celebrate Thanksgiving with him and his family. We drove to Boston, New York…yes, Boston, New York where his Aunt and Uncle lived. Being from Florida, when they told me we were going to Boston and we’re driving, my first thought was, ‘Do we have time for that, because I have practice tomorrow?’ Come to find out there is town called Boston about thirty-five minutes south of the UB North Campus.

Once we get there, I see the beautiful house that is basically located in, what I call, the country. It was a cozy cabin-like house that the family had added on to and made into a house that I’ve only seen in movies. There we had a very delicious and filling Thanksgiving Dinner, where I also met Jake’s family. Being around them and how they interacted and reminisced on past family events made me think about how my family use to celebrate Thanksgiving back when I was home.

Leading up to Thanksgiving, my mom would cook for hours, making all types of dishes. The house use to smell so good that I had to stay busy or I would just fantasize on what I was going to do that food once I got. My mom would have to run us out of the kitchen, because my sister or I would always try to get a little taste of anything or steal a devil egg when we had the chance. Once it was time to actually eat, the family would all come over or we go to a family member’s house and eat until we couldn’t eat anymore; also, catching up with everybody, sharing stories, and just enjoy each other’s company before we went our separate ways. My family isn’t perfect, but Thanksgiving and family gatherings allowed us to put all our difference aside and be happy.

Being in Boston with Jake’s family allowed me to look back on those times and remind me to be thankful for everything I have. It’s those times when you can just feel happy about your life and everybody who has been apart of it and what they have done to make you who you are today. It also made me really miss my family and how they make me feel when I’m with them. I want them to know that are loved and missed.

I know it’s past Thanksgiving, but it’s never too late to tell somebody that you’re thankful for everything they did for you, even if it was something minor. Now, I would get into a few stories about leftovers but that’s a whole other blog by itself. Until next time, that’s Wats’ Up!