It is tough to pick just a few things to be thankful for, so I will start with new thoughts that I have never had before this year:
- I am thankful that mom, dad, Chuck and Dee are still healthy and able to fully enjoy life. They all lead vibrant and exciting lives as retirees. I haven't thought about this much until this year. Terrible of me, I know, but you just expect your parents to be around forever, and this is the year I am realizing that I am thankful to be able to talk to them, see them, and continue to learn from them.
- I am thankful that Melanie misses me while I am gone. She is realizing that we think alike, have the same sense of humor, and that I know what she is thinking. She wants to be friends with me, and that makes me thankful.
- I am thankful that Jeff calls me just to "jabber". It still isn't as often as I would like, but it is still nice when he calls just to say "hi" or to talk about something that happened to him, or to share a funny anecdote from his college life.
- I am thankful that neither Melanie nor Jeff has ever asked us for money. This tells me that we have raised pretty responsible people who have learned to live within their means and aren't too focused on material things. Maybe I don't have to worry about their futures that much.
So those are the new thoughts. The "usual" things I am privately thankful for everyday, but publicly during this week are:
- I am thankful for my marriage. 25 years is a long time. Lori and I have now been married more than half of our lives. It is too easy to take for granted. When I am in LA, I seem to worry about stupid stuff. As soon as I am "home" in Seattle I worry less and fall into a pleasant life. That is directly related to how well Lori has made our home.
- I am thankful for my healthy, relatively happy kids. They are smart, successful, and a perfect reflection of great parenting...ha! They really are the pride of Lori and my life.
- I am thankful for old friends who have stood by for decades. We don't get together enough or even talk to each other enough, but these special people are constantly in my heart and in my thoughts.
- I am thankful that we are both employed. We usually complain about our jobs, but this fall we are just grinning and bearing it.
- I am thankful that I am healthy...no major issues, just nagging pains that tell me I have been alive a long time. How's that for perspective?
- I am thankful for my faith. God has been very good to me this year; bringing new people in my life to love and be loved by (PJ, Lexi, Mike, ATJ, Shiran, Spencer, Palo, Jana, Melissa, Alissa, Sylvia, Candace, and others), giving me opportunities to serve him, and giving me a hope.
So that brings me to ask you a question...
To whom are you thankful? Who do you express your thanks to? For me, I need to be "vocal to the locals", or those in my life that make a difference. I also need to raise my voice upwards to God. It might only pop into our heads and hearts once a year, but this really should be an everyday experience. I will try to be thankful on a daily basis. That means I will have to be exceptionally good at observing when others make a difference in my life, or the lives of others.
Have a great Thanksgiving!
Chow!
