Needless-to-say, we have so much to be thankful for this year.  On the top of the list, of course, is our daughter.  Seems to be she is always at the top of the list now-a-days, but I guess that is what being a parent is all about.  Than, we have the usual list of things…health, happiness, family, friends, financial security.  Seems a bit mundane to name off the same items year after year.  So this year, I would like to go a tad bit deeper than that.  Because, after all, there is so much more to be thankful for.  I am most thankful for the every day occurrence that has led me to today.

After all, life isn’t about ONE single moment with ONE great triumph and ONE great attainment.  It’s about the trials and errors that get you there – the blood, the sweat, the tears, the aggravation, the anger, the gut wrenching sadness, the absolute passion, the extreme happiness.  It is about the constant gains and the constant losses. It is about the small, inconsequential things you do every day.  It all matters in the end – every step, every regret, every decision, and every affliction.

The seemingly useless happenings add up to something after all.  The minimum wage job you had in high school.  The evenings you spent socializing with coworkers you never see anymore yet you think of them when you spot them on Facebook and laugh remembering that one time “way back when”.… Contemplations about elaborate future plans that never came to be.  All those lonely nights spent reading novels and questioning your own principles on life and sex and religion and whether or not you’re good enough just the way you are. Times when you were bullied by bullies and wondering if you were worthy enough of existing in a world where you were the only one out there who was different than everyone else.  The teenage drama of first loves, best friends and experiencing what real loss felt like.

All of this has strengthened us.  All of this has led us to every success we’ve all ever had.  All of this has made us who we are today.

Who I am, is a very thankful son who’s parents let me grow into the man I am today.  Who I am today is a brother who adores his sisters and our bond is something that I cherish every single day of my life.  Who i am today is a father who’s relationship to his daughter is one that no one can ever break.  Who I am today is an extremely thankful partner and spouse to the love of my life.  Those relationships are what I am thankful for.  And I am thankful for those every single day of my life.

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.