Thank You.

Thank you…

… for listening to me rant, try to get my point across, serve my own ego online or IRL.

… for giving me good examples of how to be a decent human being.

… for loving me in spite of all the unlovable bits.

… for laughing at my bad jokes (I knew the good ones were funny, but these… sheesh).

… for feeling the freedom to be yourself around me.

… for being there when I needed to _____.

… for letting me be there for you there when you needed to _____.

… for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness together.

… for letting me post something so vague, yet so heartfelt on this Thanksgiving Day.

If there’s any question – yes, thank you for all of the above and more.

Grateful much…?

As I get older, I hope I am more grateful. Hope – because in reality I know I take much of this life’s blessing for granted. Even in this short workweek, I’m thankful for my family and all we’ve been able to enjoy; for my job and the challenges that keep it fun; for opportunities to build on the past and learn going forward.

But then I also want to take a nap, to be selfish with my coffee, to find the remote and surf the channels for a few good days. Is that so wrong?

Maybe. Being grateful is one of those character traits, I think, that must be fed, that must be exercised and worked out from within. I can’t make someone say, “thank you” – you can try with your toddlers, but if they don’t get that gratitude is more than the words, then you’ll have a selfish teenager on your hands.

Not that we’ve got selfish teenagers. Somewhere along the line, we did it right. Or they did. Or something beyond us did (my vote is actually on that one), because they’re good kids who have their moments but by-and-large are grateful and caring.

When we start with Thanksgiving, and we start with family, it’s cool that we get to see firsthand how being grateful pays off with the folks who know you the best day in and day out.