Leelanau Whippersnapper

The Northwoods Is No Place For A Pink Flamingo

Today is Thanksgiving and I thought tonight I would share a list of things I am thankful for this year.  There are lots of things that I should mention but I know I’ll leave some out.

1. My Employer – this has been a very difficult year for a lot of people.  With the unemployment rate in Michigan the highest in the nation somewhere near 9.5%, I am thankful that I have a job and I am not in jeopardy of losing it any time soon.  While many people have seen reductions in their income, mine has actually gone up this year.
2. Facebook – this has been a fun year for me catching up with old friends from days gone by that would never have been possible had it not been for the social networking web site Facebook.  I’ve reconnected with people I’ve not seen or spoken with, some in over 20 years and I’ve been able to appreciate more fully the depth of the relationships I have had with many people over the years.
3. My Dog Gavin – this has been a challenging year for both me and my dog.  This is the first holiday season in 10 years that I have not had a significant other by my side.  Gavin has helped me a great deal this year by not leaving my side.  Even though he can’t keep his drooling mouth closed most of the time, and he snores something fierce keeping me up at night sometimes, he is always there for me wagging his tail, satisfied with only a pat on the head.
4. My Sister Sarah and Brother-in-law Brian – their unwavering interest in my well-being and their complete understanding of my inability to pick up the phone to call them is amazing.  Their background presence in my life even though they are some 600 miles away is something that I truly appreciate.
5. My Nephew Christopher – even though he has no concept of me yet, the addition of a new baby to the family is always something to be thankful for, especially when he has no idea yet how spoiled (and lucky) he already is.
6. My Parents – this has been a year of some pretty big changes for me personally and through it all, my parents have kept a watchful eye on me and my mental health.  I don’t thank them often enough but I am thankful that despite what I happen to be going through, I can count on my parents to have my back and I appreciate their willingness to peel me off any brick walls I smack into before I eventually get it right even though sometimes it takes me several times.  Their calm understanding, their incessant quirkiness, and their continued interest in my success are all things that I value tremendously.

There you have it.  My Thanksgiving list for 2008.  As I head now into the Christmas season, I may not have a ton of time to write.  This is the lash hurrah before everyone up here shuts themselves in for the winter and hibernates.  Even with holiday shopping season, the slow down at work this year has been very noticeable, much more than in previous years which makes me wonder just what the hell I’m going to do all winter at work.  I’m looking forward this winter to trying a few new things.  I would like to go skiing again since I’ve not done that in over 10 years and I want to do a little more reading this winter.  I’ve never been a great reader, mainly because I can’t focus my mind on something for that long.  Hopefully I can find a few good books that will interest me enough to actually finish them.  So, until next time…

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Tags: change, Christmas, facebook, Family, friends, Gavin, Thanksgiving, winter

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 27th, 2008 at 4:47 pm and is filed under Family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.