In the finest spirit of the holiday, I am going to put up the usual blog post of “things for which I am thankful”; because it is Thanksgiving after all. I’ll keep it to five items, because otherwise this could get a little tedious.
- I am thankful for liberty. Admittedly, it galls me when I see our personal freedoms eroded by our elected officials; but they have not been wiped out. I am still free to write this blog with no fear of repercussions or reprisals from my own government, I am free to keep and bear arms, and I am still (mostly) secure from warrant less searches and seizures. But that’s not the only thing about liberty for which I am thankful, because it’s presence alone does not deter those who would seek to erode it. I am thankful that there are millions of like minded Americans who believe that personal, individual liberty is the only to preserve our great nation.
- I am thankful for the members of our Armed Forces, all five branches. From the 19 year old Devil Dog who just wants to kick some ass, to the Air Force tanker pilot doing aerial refueling operations, the salty Navy Senior Chief, the Army grunts doing the dirty work, and finally to the Coast Guard rescue swimmer. And while I’m thankful for all those people, I’m also thankful for the military personnel that you never see on TV: the Air Force officer who makes sure that the fuel gets delivered, the Navy cooks, the Coast Guard helicopter mechanics. The behind the scenes guys who, if they didn’t do their jobs, nothing would work. I’m thankful that young men and women still believe that serving in the military is an honorable and decent career path.
- I’m thankful for family. I’m thankful that every year, something my dad said when I was younger makes a little more sense. I’m thankful that both my parents are married, and they provided me with a stellar example of how a loving marriage should run. I’m thankful that my wife puts up with my shenanigans, and that as we close in on two years of marriage I do actually love her more now than I did the day we got married.
- I’m thankful for books. When I was a kid, I used to read a lot. For a while, I had just sort of dropped the habit, and didn’t indulge in books as much as I once had. Recently, I’ve started reading again, and while Mrs. Ahab says that my books of choice are boring, I’m thankful to just be reading again.
- Finally, I’m thankful for my readers. I had the stunning realization that other people actually read this blog, and that it has an impact on other people. Thank you for coming back and reading my ramblings day after day, and I hope you continue to come back. Bring friends too.
There is a lot to be thankful. While I spend a lot of my time on this blog looking at the things that are going wrong, and the ugliness in the world, I really should spend more time talking about things that make me smile, or things that bring joy to myself and others.
Happy Thanksgiving
I kind of fell out of the habit of reading as well. The problem is that I’ve grown unsympathetic to fictional characters.
The fact that high school English tortured me was probably a factor.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. As Americans we have much to appreciate. We forget that, sometimes, so it is good to have a day set aside to remember all of our blessings. May God bless and protect and save all of us sinners, today and always.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours too, Ahab. 🙂