HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

It is Keltan's first Thanksgiving! We made the trip up today with all the other poor saps choosing to travel on the day before thanksgiving to Shawnee to be with the family. AAA said they estimated 38 million folks were traveling over 50 miles from home for the holiday, and I do believe 37 million of those were on I35 between Dallas and Denton at 2 PM today! It was a disaster! Needless to say, it is a good thing Keltan was asleep so he didn't hear his daddy tell people what he thought of them!

Thanksgiving: a time we should all pause and thank God for the blessings in our lives. It is a time of celebration and of getting together with family over some great food. So, if you will humor me a while, I would like to share my Thanksgiving thoughts.

We greatly miss the presence of Dad this year. This was a special holiday to me to spend with Dad - frying up a turkey with him, watching him interact with all the people at the dinner, and just spending some time with him. Last thanksgiving is when we announced that Inga was expecting, and although he had figured it out beforehand, he was thrilled at the "official" news. It certainly is not the same without him, but we are blessed and happy to have Karen over in Shawnee for at least Wednesday night before the big day.

Thankfulness:

1. I am thankful for my wife and my son. We are so blessed to have such an awesome little guy as our child, and he is well worth the heartaches we endured before he came along.
2. I am thankful that my family and Inga's family are friendly with each other. I know of too many families where the 2 sets don't get along very well. To have Keltan's grandparents all get along very well is a huge blessing!
3. I am thankful that Dad turned us onto the Total Money Makeover. Our marriage was saved, and now we can relax and enjoy the challenges that come with raising a rugrat.
4. I am thankful for our jobs. In this era where folks are laid off daily, we continue to have reliable jobs.
5. I am thankful for the people in my life that have been people I can look up to and that kept me from doing something too terribly stupid.
6. I am thankful that, though my parents are gone from this life, I can still remember them and speak of them with 100% love and respect.
7. I am thankful that my parents left a legacy where they are missed by more than just us, the immediate family. They touched lives, and gave us a goal to strive for.
8. Mostly, I am thankful for God's grace that he pours out on us every minute of every day.

As you can see, although we have endured heartache this year, and will continue to grieve, there is still so much to be thankful for. Yes, this holiday season will be a different one, but I am thankful for the wonderful memories and the wonderful family we still have.

If you care to share your thanksgiving, send me a comment and I will post it.