Thanks for what? Life. I give thanks for life. This hard and almost impossible task of living with so many perils and obstacles. This living seems to be met by oppositional forces that never quit...
There is never enough love, kindness, comfort, money, or time. Yet little morsels are fed to us by this vast universe every now and then. These crumbs, so small, sometimes almost invisible to those who aren't paying attention are warriors from an institution so powerful it makes all things hard and mean, soft and warm. In an instant this institution I call Hope rides in on its' steely horse and staves off the desire to just lay down and quit.
My life is everything, and like you the reader it is sometimes sad, lonely, a constant struggle, insane, twisted, filled with lies, deceit and chaos. Hopefully you the reader has little morsels like me that give you cause to stop for today and give thanks, and cancel all of the listed bad things out.
First I'm thankful that there is an actual Planet on which to live. She is beautiful, in most parts clean, and filled with wonders that are so beautiful. I'm thankful for the ocean, what a beautiful perfect thing, and so much of it to go around, and the land that grows gods called trees, and more gods called dogs, and everything else in between.
Second I'm thankful that in my dark moments there are things on this great planet that seem to know that I need light. They interact with me, and do what they can to make a spark, a smile, a warm feeling, and they do this without being told to do so. My wife, my son, my dad, and my dogs are the greatest contributors to the light, but there are people out there I don't expect to fill this role but do anyway. Porter McRoberts, Jim, Cate, Cherry, Yvonne and Barbara, Prakash, Melissa, Gibson, Patrick, Paul, Hans, Margaret, Tara, Mike, and Dennis the UPS guy are all people who come in, or call on a very regular basis just to say "Hi" and give me a pep talk when the occasion calls for it.
Third, I'm thankful for Soulmates. This little space in the world, twenty feet wide one hundred feet deep, is a house of amazing depth and dimension. This little space has allowed me to discover the old world, the new world, math I didn't think I needed, art that inspired, and has created puzzles that have enriched my mind, heart and soul. I've watched the sun rise, people come in and fall in love, I've watched romance, sacrifice, witnessed honor. I've been tested by people that I love and sometimes tested by some who've in the end been show the door and asked to never come back. I've been shown loyalty of clients I think few jewelers can boast of. I've laughed, loved, cried and lived so much in my little rectangle of a world, and done it all with my wife at my side.
I'm thankful for life and the story of it. Peace to all, happy holidays.
Peter