As one of FlamesNation’s few and far-between residents of the United States of America, today is a special day for us as we celebrate Thanksgiving.

Long are the days that I wake up early to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York to see Santa Claus at the very end, but instead, the day’s focus is all about those around me. Family and friends gather together to appreciate each other and the time we have in each other’s company, no matter how short or long it may be.

But Thanksgiving hasn’t just been a holiday for me to be grateful for those in my immediate presence. Instead, it was a day for me to think of everything in my life—friends, family, pets, school, work, health, material goods, and more—and be thankful for it, hence why I’m writing this column.

FlamesNation has been my writing home for almost two years. Since joining the site and The Nation Network’s overarching umbrella, I have met so many talented people with incredible stories to tell and bright futures ahead of them. I’ve also interacted with plenty of you, our great and loyal readers, who love the Flames about as much as anyone can.

In my tenure here, I’ve experienced a season that ended with a narrow miss of the postseason and a coaching change, a bad season in the standings but one that set up a team for success in the future, and this one, where the Flames are turning heads around the hockey world. In the grand scheme of things, I’m still new to the Calgary Flames hockey landscape, but I’ve truly enjoyed my time being able to experience the ups and downs with everyone despite being in the USA.

I am thankful that I got to write here at FlamesNation and that my life has led me down a path where writing about my favourite sport has become my source of income and a future career. It might not be the most glamorous job at times, and it may even get repetitive at some points, but at the end of the day, I get to watch sports, interact with a community of people, and talk to/hear from athletes on an almost-daily basis. When looking at it from an above-ground perspective, it’s hard to say that I’m not very blessed.

Since my first day here at FlamesNation, this community and the amazing team of writers has embraced me as one of their own. I didn’t grow up a Flames fan, and honestly, covering this team was not where I foresaw myself in the hockey writing world. But some of the best things in life come in unexpected places or forms, which is what this job has been.

So, as we below the Canadian border take our day to reflect on the most important things in our lives and what we’re grateful for; know that I’m thankful to be a part of this community and write about this team and this sport with this great group of people. It has been a blessing, and I don’t take it for granted.