Thanksgiving

Uh.... can't move...pie...

More seriously, a quick statement of things I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful for my parents. One of Rachel's aunts died last week (her father's brother's wife), and she had not had an easy life. She got married at 17 and was widowed at 38 with 4 children between the ages of 20 and 7. She lived another 30 years as a widow and was blind and in ill health for years before her death. Her children too have not had easy lives; some have pulled it together, some haven't. But it made me think about how tenuious our family lives are, and what my life would look like if rather than having loving, supporting parents who saw me through college we had lost my father when I was 8. I have no idea where I'd be. So I'm very thankful that my parents are still with us, in good health and were such good role models (even if my mom does drive me batty sometimes).

I'm thankful for my friends in my immediate area, the ones I see on a regular basis, who provide that web of human contact and support that is so essential to my well being. Never mind the fun gaming that we have, it's the companionship that means so much more.

I'm thankful for my long distance friends, the ones I only know through PBEMs or A&E or the Pyramid message boards (who have now migrated to LiveJournal). It's nice to have other voices and other viewpoints, and to be able to converse with, trade ideas with, help and be inspired by those who in a different era I would never have known. If modern technology has given me any great blessing, it's that.

And obviously I am most thankful for my wife and daughter. My wife who loves me more than I could ever deserve, and my daughter who is cute beyond words.

Happy thanksgiving, everyone.