‘I love Thanksgiving! I thank God I’m in America’ — Syrian refugee thrives in NJ

You want to know the meaning of Thanksgiving? Ask a Syrian refugee.

Ghussoon Zouabi, a mother of six who fled the Syrian civil war and now lives in Paterson, will be sitting down to a turkey feast on Thursday along with millions of other American families.

Zouabi's nighmare of a journey to the United States is recounted in an evocative profile in The Record newspaper.

Before bombs literally fell in her garden, Zouabi was helping feed nearly two dozen relatives in her war-torn Syria.

Years later, and in the safety and comfort of New Jersey, Zouabi continues to feed others, volunteering on Sundays to cook for 500 homeless people in Paterson.

"I love it here," the 39-year-old says. "There is so much food!"

Zouabi has known so much misfortune and tragedy. Her family lost the house they spent years building, she was forced out of her homeland by a brutal war and, last March, she lost her 9-year-old daughter to a rare heart disease.

She soldiers on, grateful to lead a new life in her new country — and to take part in one of America's most cherished holidays.

"I love Thanksgiving!" she said. "I thank God I'm in America."

Read her full story at NorthJersey.com.