Some Gratitude at Thanksgiving

Having read this festive article in the Times and this resulting post at The Moderate Voice, I felt moved to pen a brief piece for you on the impending holiday celebrations. This is a season for reflection and introspection - a time suited more for counting our blessings and showing humility before the universe as we struggle to understand it than for bitterness or anger. With that in mind I would like to offer up some thanks of my own as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving here in the United States.

I am grateful to live in a country where we were able to vote out an inefficient and flawed majority in Congress, giving us at least some hope that their replacements will do somewhat better for us.

I am grateful to live in a country where I can still (at least for now) keep an eye on the new Congressional leaders, speak my mind, and hold them accountable if they stray from the path again.

I am grateful to President George W. Bush for appointing Michael Griffin as the head of NASA back in October of 2005. He seems to have been a fine choice. (Ok... that one was painful and took a lot of digging, but I was bound and determined to say something nice about Bush for Thanksgiving. That's all I came up with so far.)

I am grateful for all of my friends who add so much spice and meaning to my life.

I am grateful for my family members, though we each may have our own flaws, for providing the framework on which I built my life.

I am grateful for the roughly half a century of life I've had on this earth and, in advance, I shall be grateful for however many more days I have to spend here, be they few or many.

I am grateful for the person who invented Cow Tails. If somebody hands you a Cow Tail and you're not happy, there's something wrong with you.

I am grateful for broadband access to the internet in our area, and hope that this technology will spread to every corner of the globe and every person living on it in my lifetime.

I am grateful for all of the pets in my life, past and present, for bringing me joy and comfort, and I am grateful to every other person in the world who opens up their homes to take in one or more of our furry friends and gives them shelter from the storm.

I am grateful for every form of media, from books, newspapers and magazines, to television, radio, movies and the internet for the way that they enlighten, educate and entertain us.

I am grateful for cheese in all of it's wonderful forms.

I am grateful for the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and for everyone else in this world, past and present, who have stood up for the dignity and equality of all people and sought a better path.

I am grateful to Ron for sharing this forum with me, and for our mutual work sharing other forums in the past, which have expanded my perspective and given me much to think about.

And lastly, I am grateful for my wonderful wife Georg, without whose strength, wisdom, love and support I would not be where I am today and very likely wouldn't even be alive to type this.

I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving, and hope that you will take a few moments to reflect on the things in your life for which you are grateful also.