My first memories of Thanksgiving are not unlike
most; family, football, and food, food, food. I never have and never will be
very excited about Black Friday; as the only large crowds I like are rock
concerts and ballgames. But that’s a story for another time. As a society, we
have taken the Thanks out of Thanksgiving. People are obsessed with shopping
deals and their entire holiday existence revolves around it.
Not this kid.
This year and in all years past, I choose to
be thankful. And I’ll be no more thankful today than I am the other 364 days of
the year.
I am thankful for over ten years with my wife
Anna by my side…
I am thankful my son Trevor’s thirst for
knowledge and passion for baseball surpasses my own at that age…
I am thankful my son Joseph shows great
interest and compassion for all wildlife; from the smallest critters buzzing
around the flowers to the elephants we marvel at on our frequent trips to the
San Diego Zoo…
I am thankful for the late nights after work
when my daughter Layla joins me in my little office in the garage, pulling books on the shelf and
pointing at the numerous pictures asking “Daddy, what’s that?”…
I am thankful my daughter Chloe is following
along nicely on the path set forth by her siblings…
I am thankful that when the San Diego Padres
realized they needed a new home, they hired people experienced in building new
homes for teams rather than a lawyer whose previous experience was teaching
Bill Clinton how to lie to the American public…
I am still thankful my friend and former
coworker Danny Lawrence never kicked my ass for all the short jokes I threw his
way…
I am thankful my grandfathers’ instilled in
me a deep appreciation of music, the outdoors and the value of honest work…
I am thankful our politicians look out for the
best interests of this great nation, the common good and never make a decision
based on popularity or their respective parties…
I am thankful you all know that last line was
bullshit...
I am thankful for the freedom of knowing my
life is in my hands, that my decisions are the difference between success and
failure in my life…I am thankful for the hundreds of books on my shelf and how they open a world of reality that has nothing to do with selfies, celebrities and the daily intolerance the sheep of the social networking universe choose to embrace…
I am thankful for men like Alvin York, George
S. Patton and Roy Benavidez…
I am thankful Chesty Puller chose the Marines…I am thankful Tony Gwynn chose baseball over basketball…
I am thankful Tim Young took a chance on this
long-haired high school dropout…
I am thankful for my Family of 40,000; three
of whom were called home this year yet it continues to grow amid the tragic losses…
I am thankful when Theodore Geisel was told
his books weren’t good enough, he refused to believe the lie. Which goes to
show the importance in believing in yourself when others don’t…
I am thankful for the works of Louis L’Amour,
Andy Andrews and Nick Canepa…
I am thankful that I am the Man in the Arena,
and will never take rank with those timid souls who know neither victory nor
defeat…
Most of all, I am thankful for freedom of
choice. I can choose depression or I can choose gratitude. I choose gratitude.
I choose gratitude today and every day. This is a short list, a small sample of
the list I add to every day of my life. A man wiser than myself once said “the seeds of depression cannot take root in
a grateful heart.”
Truer words have never been spoken…
