Due to the timing of this segment, it may appear to be a personal spin on Thanksgiving, but the timing is the only similarity from my vantage point.  My personal feelings and my strong family foundation have taught me some very valuable lessons in life and ones I still question such as the success of the Ernest movies.

I digress…

This week I flew to New Jersey and unlike my typical introverted self, I was able to engage in a very nice conversation with a new member of the graduating class of life.  A fresh young lass with wide open eyes and a world in front of him.  It was nice to see ambition, ethics and a bit of shyness.  We all need some of those attributes in our lives.   Wow, I really used the word “lass”

Again I digress….

My father recently had a procedure that will require some therapy so I am playing in-house nurse for a few weeks.  Don’t get me wrong, I am in it for the free meals and the company but it is hard work.  He is making me clean the house, throw out my old books, drive him everywhere and worst of all, sit through episode after episode of Law and Order.

I value my time in my hometown, the house I grew up in and the bedroom I experienced my first life adventures.   The walls are the same tacky blue and the lampshade is covered with NFL team logos including “wait for it” the Houston Oilers…Now you can point out how old it is.   Fortunately the thick red, white and blue carpet has been replaced with wood panel tiles.   As I sit in a room I once thought was filled with spiders, built a lego wall to the ceiling, played nerf basketball with my brother, sorted baseball cards and studied long division, I reflect on the many things I am truly thankful for.   I have an amazing family, quirky but amazing, a strong foundation of friends, my health and a very positive attitude; even if my father is being a pain in the butt.  Then again we can all remember our parents telling us to be good because some day we will be taking care of them.  Karma has a funny way of showing itself.

Did I mention my inate ability to digress….

I try very hard not to watch the news or indulge in very much television or radio, but media is a powerful tool we cannot escape. We are surrounded by conflict, rage, war, death, greed, depression and poverty.   It is a time when there are so many unanswered questions yet we are void of answers.   A time where surrender is an option many have toyed with.  I see this as a time of re-birth; a fresh morning dew on a cool open field. We are all blessed with something more powerful than any known material item; life. The ability to breathe, love, laugh, cry, hug and feel has no value.   It is a priceless work of art that we have created and continue to create with each passing day.

I am thankful for the lives I have touched.
I am thankful for the voices that give me a sense of community and companionship.
I am thankful for the ability to be creative.
I am thankful for each day of life.

What about you???