What do the holidays mean to you? Does the family gathering happen in your own home? Do you travel to a family member’s home? Or maybe back to the town you grew up in?

The holidays are special for me. I have an excuse to go back to my roots two months in a row, and I couldn’t love it more. Thanksgiving has been hosted at my mom’s home the past few years — the same house I grew up in. A lot has happened in this house, and despite all the ups and downs, my mom has always managed to make it warm, cozy, and inviting for our family and friends.

So each Thanksgiving, I am more and more grateful to come home. It has a powerful presence in my life. This year, just eleven of us (plus a baby) gathered. Yet we fill our little home.

It’s an honor to have a place at such a special table. Couldn’t be happier.