
Well I must say that the last 351 days have been a very rough time of my life. I was very excited about Thanksgiving and getting to spend time with my family. Things always don't turn out the way you want. First my relatives from Kansas couldn't make it this year. My uncle was stabbed by poachers (and i think i have it bad), so they couldn't make the trip. I was still excited to see my Grandparents, sister, nieces & other family. Well Thursday morning my mom called and said that the weather was extremely bad at my grandparents in NY and she wasn't going to make it up and that i probably shouldn't go either. I had a sinus cold so bad that my teeth were hurting. So i decided to stay in bed most of the day and spend my holiday between reading a good book and sleep. Not a very exciting Thanksgiving I must say but I still have much to be thankful for.
Most of all I am thankful for my family. All of my family that has been there for me throughout the years, the ones that i have become closer to recently, and the ones that i met for the first time this year. My old man for passing along his best traits to me, and a few that are a little less then best. Frank for being like a father to my sisters and me. We have all supported each other so much even when it was hard to support ourselves. There are a lot of people that don't have the love and closeness that we have. I am proud to be related to all of you, even Aunt Donna ;)
I am fortunate to have a lot of friends that i am thankful for. I'm thankful that Rob & Steve both moved closer to home, but I'm thankful that they were out west while they were, so i had someone to call at 2am that would still be up in another time zone. Leslie, Eric, Randy, Kare'n & Dianne for helping keep me sane when life was crashing out of control and for listening to my ramblings. Skip for being a good friend and helping me adjust to life as a outsider in Tyrone. All the random people i have met and cant remember half their names, for the kind words or a friendly smile. I have always had a lot of friends, but this year i have made many more. The people who listened to my kind worlds and friendly advice, it is always good to try and help someone out. I am also very thankful for a new friend i met just this week.
In a way I am thankful for some of the rough things that have happened this year also. They have made me wiser and stronger. I didn't enjoy them but i have been able to take some of the experiences and learn from them. I have learned from my mistakes, which as always are as plentiful as the Thanksgiving Feast my grandmother prepares every year.