Mission 15: The Bryant’s Visit Belfast for Thanksgiving

November 29th, 2013 | Uncategorized

If I could name one thing I am thankful for, it is family.

 

Back home in the states we have a holiday called Thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving feast was celebrated by pilgrims and Indians back in 1600s. It is a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and a celebration in acknowledgment of kindness. It gives families the time to reflect on the year and give thanks for all their blessings. It is one of the true homegrown non-religious holidays in America that is celebrated by pretty much everyone. Americans gather with family and friends to enjoy an enormous feast, which almost always includes a roasted turkey with all the trimmings and the traditional pumpkin pie. Even hardcore professionals use this holiday as an excuse to take a long weekend away, which normally begins anytime midday on Wednesday, since Thanksgiving is always the last Thursday of November. Many Americans associate Thanksgiving with the three F’s – Family, Food and Football. Some of the biggest games of the year are played on Thanksgiving Day. The best part? It’s no biggie for people to travel thousands of kilometers to be with loved ones and it is the largest traveled day of the year in the States. This is what my Aunt Karen, and my younger cousins Clinton, Clayton, and Carlton did to be with me in Ireland for Thanksgiving. They traveled from Atlanta, Georgia to Dublin then took a bus to Belfast. It was great having them here for a few days. We got to do the open top bus tour, go to the Christmas Market, and do a little bit of bowling. Family is everything to me.

 

So the only question is, why don’t we have a holiday like this in Ireland? Sounds like we’re missing out right?

 

On behalf of Sport Changes Life we as Americans & Canadians didn’t miss out this year on thanksgiving, because we had to the opportunity to enjoy the three f’s for celebrating thanksgiving. Family meaning our new family here in Ireland, along with touching videos from our families back home wishing us a Happy Thanksgiving, Food because we ate a good meal at Villa Italia, and no football here, however there was Foundation. I am so thankful for the foundation of Sport Changes Life giving me the opportunity to be a part of a great program that is making my dreams come true with the opportunity to change people’s lives through sports. I also get to coach, play basketball, and get my Masters Degree. I would have never imagined it, but this was a great Thanksgiving!

Stay Updated! Sign up to our newsletter

Stay Updated! Sign up to our newsletter