Hello, everyone. My name is Lilly Avila and I am an 8th grader. Thanksgiving is coming up in a week and it’s the perfect time to say what we’re all thankful for.

I am thankful for just being alive for this long. I’ve been able to experience awesome things like going to a concert, eating cheesecake, making friends, acing a test, being sung happy birthday by family and friends, and reading.

My dad is a detective at Bexar County, in the department of Traffic Homicide. He’s told many heartbreaking stories about car crashes and the passengers in them that he has seen. Some of the passengers aren’t even old enough to spell out the alphabet or count to 100.

Life is precious and worth living so I’m thankful for being alive right now. There is so much we could do everyday to make us happy and feel fulfilled.

I’m also thankful for my amazing family. My family is always there for me and they love me so much.

My parents feed me everyday and my brothers aren’t as bad as I hear some siblings are. My parents buy me what I need and even get the chance to buy me most of the stuff I want.

I’ve heard of abusive and neglectful parents, so I’m glad my parents aren’t like that. It makes me sad to know there are parents like that out there. If you’re going to make the decision to have a child, please take care of it.

There are people out there who barely even have what they need to survive. I fortunately do and I take it for granted everyday. I know other people do too.