Thanks!

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The spousal companion is splitting time between watching the Macy's Parade and making pumpkin pie . Youngest son, newly reunited for the long weekend, is upstairs asleep. My time in the kitchen will come soon: I'm making purple mashed taters and green bean casserole for the family gathering in a few hours. I've looked over the Black Friday ads and have confirmed there's nothing worth getting up at 4 AM and fighting crazed bargain hunters for.

Time to reflect briefly on what I'm thankful for.
  • First and foremost, I'm thankful for my wife and sons, who continue to give meaning to my life. 
  • I'm thankful everyone in my family is healthy, both physically and mentally.
  • I'm thankful my two sons are finding who they are and what makes them happy.
  • I'm thankful I have a roof over my head.
  • I'm thankful I have a job. Despite my occasional grousing, I feel fortunate to be doing what I'm doing. I'm also thankful former colleagues who lost their jobs in the layoffs over the last year have found new jobs.
  • I'm thankful for music, art and books.
  • I'm thankful electronic devices have off switches -- especially televisions and radios.
  • I'm thankful for cats.
  • Finally I'm thankful for having a wide-ranging and diverse group of friends. They make life incredibly interesting.
Here's hoping you have plenty to be thankful for as well.

PS -- Dinner has been served, the purple potatoes were, if not a smashing hit,at least received politely. Now I'm thankful I cleaned up all my cooking mess as I went along.

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