Thanksgiving 2011

It’s hard to believe there is just over a month left of this year. It went by so fast…

As I write this I’m at home taking a little bit of well-deserved down time and spending it with Martha. My kids are all spread out this year, as usual; Kerry is with her boyfriend’s family, and Nancy and Jon are with their mother. Peyton, the little one, is with her dad for a chunk of the day. And I’m working tonight – my normal Thursday tour, to be sure, but I am still working on a holiday (again). At least this year I am not working on Christmas or New Year’s Day – I did that last year. I am, however, working both Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and both of those days have the potential for being much worse, especially New Year’s. Because of this, I suspect that this year is going to not just be different, but busy. I could be wrong, and I’m hoping I am, but I won’t believe it until I see it.

Even though it is a break from the classroom and all that goes with it, I still have work to do. A paper that needs to be written for Biology, the Wiki page that I’m working on for the Science and Technology symposium at UNH-Manchester on December 6 (I’ll post the link to it when it’s done), and the never-ending homework. I expect to work on some of this later today/tonight/tomorrow and Sunday (I’m working Saturday in Boston, per usual), and I need to get cracking.

With all of that said, I have a lot to be thankful for. An awful lot. The list is like this:

• Excellent health
• The love of a wonderful woman and an awesome family that I simply couldn’t live without
• A grand-daughter that, if she weren’t here, would leave a huge hole in her wake. This is a person who lights up everyplace that she goes. I would do anything for her
• My friends – people who keep me grounded and remind me who I am, every single day. I thank you all for that, otherwise I would be shiftless and have no foundation. I appreciate that more than you will all ever know
• The opportunities to keep my “mental muscle” in excellent condition – thank you to those who challenge me whenever I am in the classroom, both teachers and fellow students alike. I am living proof that you can “teach an old dog new tricks”
• The ability to do the work I am doing – as arduous and hazardous as it has the potential for being, I wouldn’t want to do anything else
• Men and women who are willing to stand on the wall – we simply can’t thank them enough. And whether or not you agree with why they are where they are, remember that these are the same people who would be on the wall here if it were necessary
• The freedoms we enjoy, along with the ability to make the right choices to keep them
• A good life. I can’t ask for more than that

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.