Whether curled up at home or traveling across the state, Cherokee County leaders this Thanksgiving will reflect on their blessings and enjoy the day with loved ones.

For Debra Murdock of Canton, this year's Thanksgiving will be twice as nice.

Mrs. Murdock, principal of Teasley Middle School, will spend her 39th birthday having a Thanksgiving feast with her friends and family.

Thanksgiving for Mrs. Murdock and her family usually starts with lunch with her husband, Lance's, family. Dinner that evening is a "huge" Thanksgiving meal with her mother's family.

The dinner usually involves between 75 and 100 extended family members, Mrs. Murdock said.

"It's just a huge family get-together," she said.

While Mrs. Murdock said she's blessed to be able to spend Thanksgiving and her birthday with loved ones, she knows some local families aren't as fortunate.

As the casework coordinator for the Service League of Cherokee County, Mrs. Murdock said she's blessed to help some of the county's most needy families - and to reflect on her own blessings.

"It makes me thankful for the things I have in my own life," she said.

While serving in the military, Larry Speights never had the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with his wife, Alma, and five children.

Now, the owner of Loose Lips Larry Restaurant in Waleska is taking advantage of this day and spending it with his family.

Speights, who lives in Lake Arrowhead, will cook Thanksgiving dinner with his children.

The feast will include turkey, a broccoli casserole, potatoes, sweet potato pie, Southern-style green beans and cornbread dressing made from scratch.

While growing up, Speights said his family would sometimes have a massive Thanksgiving dinner, with two turkeys, two hams, iced tea, green beans, homemade macaroni and cheese, giblet gravy and even fried chicken.

"There were also days where we didn't have what we called a Thanksgiving," he said, noting even then his mother would cook something special for the children to eat.

Looking back at this year, Speights said he's thankful for "just being alive today."

He also said he's thankful for being able to open his restaurant on Reinhardt College Parkway and share his love of cooking with Cherokee County residents.

"I'm just thankful to be in America and to have Thanksgiving," he said.

Being thankful to live another day is on the mind of Cheryl Mosley. The co-coordinator of Cherokee Thanksgiving and Canton resident will spend the day providing a warm holiday meal to others.

She will celebrate the holiday at Canton First United Methodist Church by making sure the annual serving of Thanksgiving dinner to Cherokee's less fortunate runs smoothly.

Mrs. Mosley, a recent breast cancer survivor, already shared Thanksgiving dinner with her immediate family. Her family gathered on Sunday and celebrated son, Zach's, 22nd birthday.

Along with turkey, the family had an oyster and corn casserole.

"It was a family staple for the holidays," she said.

Another tradition the Mosleys have is putting out the Advent wreath as a family, something they've done since Zach was 2, Mrs. Mosley said. Advent wreath lighting begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Some of her favorite childhood Thanksgiving memories include her mother making homemade dressing and her father wanting to taste everything. She vividly remembers her mother having to chase her father out of the kitchen.

A fourth-generation breast cancer patient, Mrs. Mosley was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2008 and underwent a lumpectomy and a lymph node dissection.

She then began chemotherapy and radiation therapy and will undergo five years of adjunct therapy.

Mrs. Mosley said through her battle with breast cancer, she's learned the value of family and friends.

"Anytime you deal with cancer, it makes every day a bigger gift," she said. "It's sad that it takes something [so] profound to realize how special every day is."

After a contentious battle for re-election, Woodstock City Councilman Randy Brewer will spend Thanksgiving relaxing with his family.

The family, which includes wife, Sharon, and three children, today will be in Tallahassee to visit Mrs. Brewer's family. On Wednesday, the Brewers were in Smyrna visiting his family.

"I want to spend as much time with family," he said.

The holiday also is a time for Brewer to enjoy good food and football.

Most importantly, Brewer said, each year, he thanks God for the blessings he's received throughout the year.

"We tend to get discouraged throughout the year, but Thanksgiving is the one time to focus on praising God and thanking him for my family... and all the things he's blessed me with," he added.

Today, Beth Long of Sixes will be in Cordele visiting her husband's family.

The Clayton Elementary School principal said her family will have a "traditional dinner," with cornbread stuffing and "all the wonderful desserts."

While growing up in Eastman, Mrs. Long said her uncle had a cabin they would visit each year.

The night before Thanksgiving, her dad and all the men in the family would barbecue over a pit all night. The next morning, all the women and girls would make a big breakfast, and for lunch, the family would have barbecue.

Her favorite childhood Thanksgiving memories are slumber parties with her female cousins who would come into town for the holiday.

On this day while in Cordele, Mrs. Long said she'll be reflecting on what Thanksgiving means to her and how much of a blessing her life has been.

"Thanksgiving is a time set aside to reflect on all our many blessings, to be thankful for our families and for our communities," she said. "Really, Thanksgiving to me is all about reminding ourselves we are blessed to have people around us who care about us."