Thanky-ness

     Today is Thanksgiving here in the states (Canadian Thanksgiving was Oct 10th) and we celebrate by heading to Grandma Gerry and Grandpa Jacks for dinner with moms side of the family. It's a fairly traditional gathering with turkey, mashed taters, green beans, and pumpkin pie. The fact that they live in a log cabin in the woods only heightens the traditional holiday mood. Booze helps too :-)  It's nice to get together with the family and swap stories and reminiscences. After we've stuffed ourselves silly, and had a brief nap in my father's case, we bundle up and drive over to spend the rest of the evening with dad's side of the family to consume deserts, play games, and drink a bit more. We bring board games, card games, and Wii games to whittle away the night. Eventually the evening ends and we head home (hopefully with leftovers in hand) to put the kids to bed and sleep off the feast. A good time is had by all!

     I'd like to take this opportunity to share my list of things I'm grateful for, in no particular order

     I'm thankful for family. My family is very important to me. I would not be who I am without their influence and example to go by.
     I'm thankful for friends; old and new. I'm fortunate to have many, many friends, and I love them all.
     I'm thankful for my health. Though I am currently battling a sudden and unexpected head cold, my immune system is usually pretty impenetrable. On that note...
     I'm thankful for lemon tea with ginger, honey, and vitamin C. It's keeping me functional at the moment.
     I'm thankful for my wife and kids. Yeah, they're included in the "thankful for family" bit, but these three are special. Though they may drive me out of my ever loving mind at times, Jillian and Gavin are the best thing I've ever made. I don't know how she does it, but Belinda puts up with my insanity.
     I'm thankful for "the arts". I know, it's a catch all phrase, but I'm love it all. As an artist, writer, actor, sculptor, singer, puppeteer, etc, etc, tis the arts that feed my soul.
     I could go on and on ad infinitum with all this thanky-ness, but I'll spare you the long and winding list.

     I wish you all a festive Thanksgiving full of good food and good company! If you're not celebrating Thanksgiving today, I still wish you the same; it's never a bad time for food, friends, and family.

Happy Turkey Day everyone!