Giving Thanks

With all the things that have been going wrong for us in the last couple of months, and, particularly, the way those things seem to have been coming more and more frequently, it might be hard to believe that I see a lot in my life to be thankful for. Of course, there's tons in my life to be thankful for, and one of those things is my ability to see those things. To look beyond the crap and the problems and see the good things.

Let's have a little list, shall we?

1.I'm thankful that I have a job that keeps the mortgage paid, keeps me busy, keeps me on my toes, and allows me to spend my day with people who genuinely enjoy and care about me. My income has gone up every year that I've been working. My job keeps me challenged. I'm appreciated and respected by the right people.

2.Our beautiful Beulah. She's a good, solid girl with well insulated walls, a good roof, steel doors, and double pane windows. She does a good job of keeping us safe and containing the love and laughter in our lives.

3.Our Big Blue Ox. She's seen us through so many family adventures and shuttles us safely in our daily travels. And while we may buy new vehicles, she will be the vehicle we hang on to.

4.MonkeyDo. Smart, sassy and cute, with a heart that's bigger than she is. It's been a joy watching her grow up and blossom, and the clues I've seen about who she'll grow into let me know how glad I'll be to be there beside her.

5.MonkeySee. So intelligent, always thinking outside the box without even realizing it. Like he never quite figured out what that box was for so he just got rid of it. He's growing into a man right under our noses (well, not under our noses anymore).

6.Three cats that are not above spending their days entertaining us, even though they probably think they're just living their lives.

7.Two dogs that love the crap out of us and are cute and excited and look out for our safety.

8.Good friends who love us and put up with our craziness and talk to us when things are crazy and weird instead of just walking away. Friends who get that we rotate in our own little world and understand that, sometimes, that comes with it's own language and set of rules.

9.Family that loves and accepts us and stands by us. While this is not the universal rule in our giant, combined family, I think that the ratio of acceptance to not is positively stellar. We are extraordinarily fortunate to have been gifted with such a loving and accepting family.

10.People who have acted like mentors, guiding us through sticky situations with experience and intelligence. Helping us plan the way to move forward, even when it feels like there's no way and no hope for doing so. Cheering us on when it seems like nobody else will.

11.I'm thankful for the raging fire that has been lit within the gay community, and I hope that it does not die out until we have equal rights and protections, fully, under Federal law.

12.I am thankful for all the love and laughter we've been able to share in this year. The wild & crazy times, the down and mellow times. I'm thankful for the ways in which we've been able to help friends in need. And I'm thankful for the ways in which our friends have saved us.

13.SweetPea. My heart, my harbor, my rock. Can I even say enough about the ways in which I am thankful for her? She keeps me whole, gives me strength, and loves me through it all. No, there aren't even enough words to express how thankful I am for her.

14.My gifts and talents. Photography, writing, the other pseudo-arty things I can do, and all the things work-related that I excel at. I enjoy being very good and a good number of things, and I enjoy doing a good number of things. I am thankful for being so significantly multi-faceted.

I'm sure I forgot stuff. Which is ok. Because I'm thankful for that stuff, too.

I hope everyone has a stellar Thanksgiving.

Enjoy friends, family and the many reasons you have to give thanks.