Giving thanks: you helped my kid’s video to win!

Back in September, I asked for your help in “liking” and watching a video that my daughter Gabi made about her summer camp trip to Tanzania. Guess what — she won!

The photo here is of us at JFK International Airport on that July afternoon when she set out for that adventure.

The journey changed her from a somewhat spoiled 17-year-old suburban kid to a young woman who is much more self-aware, motivated and thankful.

She went to Tanzania to help build a village school room under the auspices of Rustic Pathways, an organization that offers great travel experiences for teens. When she came back, the Rustic folks ran a best video contest for campers and Gabi just took first prize. Given a choice between Final Cut Pro software and a video camera, she chose the camera.

As regular readers know, it was the first time Gabi initiated any kind of competition for anything. My blog post about that was a mother’s moment of watching her child explore her place in the world.

From that vacation, she went on to the current fall semester of her senior year in high school. The college applications process has been very stressful but she is holding up. And the ability to go forward with a brand-new video camera will definitely give her confidence.

So thank you all, for being part of my extended family! Big, big hug. xoxoxoxo. Mwah, mwah!

Speaking of exploring our roles in this world, when I first began blogging during the 2008 Thanksgiving weekend, it was my own moment of testing what might be out there. And you were waiting for me…

Through the various incarnations of both this blog and myself, you held me steady. Now your support for Gabi is embracing the next generation of my family. What more could I ask for?  :)

There are not enough words to express what I’m feeling right now. Instead of blathering on, I hope you’ll simply accept my heartfelt best wishes to you for a wonderful Thanksgiving.

And many, many thanks for your comments, emails and subscriptions to this blog. You’ve kept me — us, my family — going!

P.S. — Just in case you missed it, here’s Gabi’s video, which is posted both here and on YouTube. As of this moment, it has gotten a very, very respectable 449 hits.

Happy, happy Thanksgiving and blessings to you all !!!

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Having Gabi away on that trip was a life lesson for me, in case you want to read more:

Can I be more than Mommy? (July 5, 2012)

Food is Fun, (July 24, 2012)