This Thanksgiving, I wish to give thanks for all the wonderful people in my life.
For my wife, who continues to show me how to make love grow and blossom, sometimes in unexpected ways.
For my sons, who even as they grow into adulthood still manage to keep me young.
For my nearest and dearest friends and their families, who are like adopted family to me.
For my parents and family, and my wife’s parents and family, for providing the support and guidance in raising us (strong headed as both my wife and I are, that guidance was not always needed, but it is appreciated nonetheless).
Too often when we are asked to give thanks, we wonder what we should give thanks for. We see the hurts and pains and remember those who have inflicted the hurts and pains upon us. We too often forget the tender moments and those who have stood at our side through the difficult times. So, as we take this moment to reflect on our lives, I ask that you stop and give thanks for what has been. Every moment, good and bad, of your life has shaped you into the amazing person that you are.
If your life has had obstacles strewn across your path, give thanks for the fortitude that has allowed you to travel this far, and give thanks to those who have walked beside you, strengthened you, and fought for you.
If you have made a sharp turn in your life this year, give thanks for the good times of the past and for the ability to make that turn with a clear mind and in a calm manner.
If you have lost a loved one this year, give thanks for the memories provided by that person and for those who gave support in times of need.
If you have had nothing but good fortune this year, give thanks for that, but hold not contempt for those less fortunate, for as fortune runs good for you this year it can run ill the next.
As this Thanksgiving draws to a close, I ask that you think on this: as ill befalls us, there are silver linings inherent in those situations. Give thanks for those silver linings and hold them in your heart, and in doing so they will become no longer linings but rather silver nuggets, valuable in their own right.
And so, with that, I take leave of whatever time you have devoted toward hearing me, and have but one thing more to be thankful for: my pillows which await me and my slumber, to carry me to tomorrow’s adventure in comfort. Good night, all, and a very happy Thanksgiving.