My Many Thanks

Funny how a year like 2011 can do so much to frame life in an appropriate & proper perspective.  Obviously, I bring this up because it is Thanksgiving Day today, and as I'm sure most of us do every year, I find myself reflecting on the things I am thankful for in my life. 

There's an adage out there that goes something like the tough times exist to make us appreciate the good times more.  Well 2011 was a year that heaped on both the good and tough times, and the wisdom of said adage was made abundantly clear to Laureen and I.  Let's just say that we are eagerly looking forward to 2012.  So in a nutshell, here are those things for which I am most grateful this year.

I am thankful for the birth of our son Johnny.  He is a joy and he has added a whole new welcome dimension to our family, even if parenting an infant is not as easy as it was six years ago with his sister.  With Johnny, we have been blessed with another exceptionally happy child who makes us all smile (probably more than any family deserves to smile).

I am thankful that Erin continues to grow in confidence and maturity right before our eyes.  I am also thankful that in many ways, I feel closer to my little girl now than I ever have.  She has a beautiful, innocent, gentle soul and I couldn't be more proud of her than I am.

I am thankful for the love and support of my beautiful wife and best friend Laureen.  In a year filled with adversity, I knew that Laureen would always be there for me... that we would be there for each other.  I say it every year, and I will stop saying it if it ever stops being true, but I feel closer to my wife now than ever before. 

As always, I am thankful for the love and support of my family.  It seems like we needed to lean on family for support more this year than ever before, and they have come through in ways it would never be fair for anyone to expect.  You guys are awesome!  You're beyond awesome!  I haven't adequate words to express my deep love, gratitude and appreciation for you all.  I don't know where we'd be without you.

I am thankful for those special moments shared with our friends this year.  As we all grow older, it has become such a thrill to watch our kids grow up together and build their own friendships.  My only regret is the distance between most of us and the fact that we don't get to see each other more often. 

I am thankful for the continued health of my Dad, my Grandmother, Laur's Mom, Karen's husband Mark, Mrs. DelaRosa, my friend Tracey, and all the other family & friends who are battling with their own health-related issues.  You are all in our prayers.

Finally, I am thankful to be living in the United States.  I am thankful for the freedoms that living here entail, and especially and eternally thankful to the men and women in our armed forces who have sacrificed to secure and preserve that freedom. It's easy to take our great good fortune for granted, having been born and raised here (and never knowing anything else).  But for all of America's faults, it is still the greatest, most benevolent nation in the history of the world.