This past weekend people got together with friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving.

As a part of that, many of my online friends took to Facebook to post about what they’re thankful for.

Reading some of the posts Sunday morning, it was hard for me, at first, to relate. I was sitting at my desk in my office chair; hard at work to make sure you would have a paper today.

Long weekends as a journalist are often spent in the office. Just because it’s a holiday doesn’t mean life or the world stops. Nurses and emergency personnel are hard at work. Coffee shops and grocery stores need to be staffed. And newspapers.

Holidays are usually a hard time for me. My family is far away in Ontario. I only see them once, maybe twice, a year. Growing up, family was incredibly important. Many lasting memories were formed at Thanksgivings and Christmases and Canada Days an Easters, of gathering, joking, playing cards, eating and singing together.

I write this not because I’m looking for sympathy, but because reflecting on where I am, and what I have, made me even more thankful this year.

This was the first holiday away that I didn’t feel alone (well, except for last year when my parents and brother joined me in Moose Jaw for Thanksgiving).

While there were certainly some friends and small social circles when I worked in Moose Jaw and in Cold Lake, of everywhere I’ve worked in my young journalism career, P.A. is where I’ve really come into my own.

Thanks to the people in this city, I’ve developed a solid social circle and I’ve never run out of things to do.

People who say there is nothing to do in Prince Albert have blinders on. There’s no other explanation for it. Consider two weekends ago. We had three people running around all weekend trying to cover as many events as possible and we still barely kept up. Even last weekend, there were two art openings at the exact same time.

This is happening city with tons to do, and great people to do it with.

So when I think about Thanksgiving, and what I’m thankful for, on a basic level I’m thankful to have a job I love, a roof over my head and a full stomach.

But on a deeper level, I’m thankful for the city in which I live, my fabulous coworkers, close friends and the opportunity to succeed this place has provided me.