Many Thanks

Working in retail, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving can become pretty crazy and stressful as we prepare for that ultimate day of commerce, Black Friday. It becomes easy to go through the motions of day to day life with a set of blinders on and lose sight of those genuine things that are truly important. Now, on Thanksgiving Eve, with most of our preparations in the rear view mirror, I find I have a moment to sit, take a deep breath, and reflect on those things for which I am thankful in my life.

I am thankful to have been blessed with an amazing wife. Into our tenth year of marriage, Laureen is still my best friend, my true partner in life. She is the one I want to talk to at the beginning and the end of every day, she is the one I want to laugh with, the one I want to share my life with. "You'll always be my sweet addiction, in this life, my saving grace... girl you're all that really matters, you know it's true, ain't no me without you."

I am thankful for our wonderfull, thoughtful little girl. She brings more joy into our lives on a daily basis than I can successfully put into words. No matter how rough of a day I've suffered or how foul my mood, I can always count on Erin to make me smile. Guiding her through the stages of her development, watching and helping her mature fills me with such pride. I will always cherish the sweet, quiet little tender moments we've shared as she has grown.

I am thankful that Laureen and I have another child on the way. I cannot speak for Laureen, but I had about given up hope that we were ever going to have another child. I am so excited and cannot wait to be a Dad again. I am also very excited that Erin will be a big sister. She is going to be a great older sister.

I am thankful for the love and support of our families, from our Parents to our Siblings and their Spouses (and children), to our extended families (Grandmas, Aunt & Uncles, Cousins). It seems to me that we maybe don't tell you all often enough how much we appreciate you and love you. Thank you for always having been there for us.

I am thankful for our dear friends, some old, some new, some nearby, some far, far away, all of them beloved. So many shared experiences bind us and we always look forward to the next adventure.

I am thankful for the incredible fortune of having been born in the United States of America, the single greatest, most virtuous, most free nation this world has ever seen. Imagine having been born in a place like North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, etc. Living under the iron fist of some petty megalomaniacal dictator or fascistic regime, sleeping at night in some mud hut or shanty house, fearing famine, cholera, malaria, or machete wielding death squads. Instead, we live in a place where we complain if the cable goes out for 45 minutes, the supermarket runs out of our favorite cereal, or the air conditioner breaks down. We are exceptionally fortunate and take so much of it for granted.

I am thankful to have a job that I enjoy with very good bosses and staff. I am thankful for those men and women in uniform in our armed forces protecting our freedom, and for those men and women in uniform back here at home protecting our streets, fighting fires, or stabilizing patients and transporting them to the hospital. I am thankful for my health and for the health of those I love. Finally, I am thankful that my NY Jets are 8-2 and likely looking at 9-2 after their game tomorrow night.

Happy & Safe Thanksgiving Everyone!!