What a glorious day – beginning with the Turkey Trot and ending with a little online shopping! And in between stuffed with wonderful food, lots of family and plenty of fun. Tammy and Steve hosted our dinner today in their new home and Tammy pulled out all the stops to set a beautiful table and insure we had plenty of wine so no one whined! Steve smoked a couple of 13# turkeys and they were quite yummy – and moist! Everyone contributed to the meal making a true feast for us all and leaving me wondering when/if I will ever be hungry again.
In addition to all the usual suspects (my family, good health, Mulligan, etc.) I’m thankful for:
- Living in a free country – despite the economic concerns and uncertainty, I know we have a democracy that works and we will survive which is more than most people in the world can rely on.
- Andrew Carnegie who gave us free public libraries – even though our local library is supported by the taxes I pay, I know it’s one of the best bargains around.
- Friends – they are the family I get to choose – or who choose me – and I treasure these special relationships. At the risk of leaving someone out, I won’t name names but you know who you are if you read this blog. Thanks for being a part of my life.
- Retirement – the best gig I’ve ever had – but more importantly, I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to have a career and experience a challenging job working for the same place for 24 years and that I could leave it behind without any withdrawal. What job? You mean I used to actually do something productive?
- Steve’s prayer today at dinner – he prefaced it by saying something to the effect that he’s not religious but his message was heartfelt and I appreciated him fulfilling that important role as our host.
- Volunteers – I looked at all the people today who helped with the Turkey Trot and reflected that one of the most powerful resources our country has is Volunteer Power! Any time there is an event where help is needed, people eagerly give of their time and talents to make it happen. The best thing I’ve found about volunteering is that I always receive more than I give – such a deal!
And finally I’m thankful for Future Rock Stars! Here’s Uncle Steve teaching Lydia, Julia and Bella how to play Guitar Hero. Now that’s a skill that should take all of them far in life.
And in case you didn’t notice, they are wearing their holiday dresses that I finished last evening. Just seeing how cute they looked today made it all worthwhile.
Here’s hoping you had a day in which your blessings outweighed your concerns.
