Three things I am grateful for:

So I’ve been more of a grump than I really want and it shows in my writing. I’ll apologize for that because I am an optimistic person who has lost his way. So, my students are writing about three things they are grateful for this Thanksgiving, so I’ll join in that writing as well.

  1. Family: That one is easy. My wife is an amazing, talented, beautiful woman who does so many good things for so many people. When people talk about marrying up, I did so in a big-time way. My daughters are smarter than I am, better looking than I am, and just better people than I am as well. We want the next generation to do better than the one before. I’m on that train because my daughters will certainly do better than us. My parents are a hoot right now. They are loving “city living” and all that goes with it. Everything is close, they don’t have to get outside too much, and yet, they are still so independent. I worry about them because they’ve both fallen in the last 6 months, but we’ll take the good with the bad right now. My brother is another one who is smarter than me, better looking, and just does things the right way. I wish we were closer, but a lot of that is on me, so we’ll go with it right now. There’s a lot of stuff to peel away, and it’s happening, it just takes a while. These are the people who impact my life the most on a daily basis. They are the ones that I love and cannot imagine a life without.
  2. Friendship: I don’t make friends easily. It’s part I’m painfully introverted, part I do not keep in touch with people, and part I just drive people away because I’m opinioned on certain topics. So if someone can stomach all that with me, then they are a true friend. My college roommate and I were inseparable for a long time, then lost touch, but have regained that friendship and more. I treasure that friendship along with some others more than gold. I just wish the doofus lived closer to us! 🙂
  3. This blog: It might be surprising that I’m thankful for this drivel, but I am. I talk with my students about amplifying their voices with their own blogs. I feel like this blog is a prime example of that fact. I write to purge. I write to entertain. I write because I want to share my experiences with more than just those around me. This blog has been read in 52 different countries this year. 52! For some fool in rural Iowa, that’s absolutely amazing. Ten years ago, I would have just rolled my eyes at that fact. Now, it’s commonplace for a post to be read in three or four different countries. I’m in awe that people read this blog. More than awe, I’m thankful that there are people out there who will take the time to read this, start to finish.

So, there you have it, three things that I’m grateful for this Thanksgiving Day! What about you? What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving season? I’d love to hear about it!

I wish each of you a wonderful Thanksgiving and hope you are sharing time with family and friends.