Thanks

Well, it's Thanksgiving evening. For much of my life, Thanksgiving night meant a card game with my friends---particularly after I moved away for school, it meant a night when the whole gang from Springfield was back in town, and everybody's family activities had pretty much wound down by 7:00 or 8:00, and there wasn't much else to do. I don't remember exactly when the last Thanksgiving night card game was, but it was a while ago. People quit coming back to town as regularly and most of them got married. A couple years ago we had most of the old gang together for a card game over the Christmas holidays, which was pretty fun.

I guess I've got a lot to be thankful for. I've got a solid job (knock wood); a happy marriage; a comfortable home; two great cats; my parents are alive and in pretty good health; my sister, who has been fighting cancer for several years, is finally showing some signs of progress, and there may be light at the end of the tunnel for her at last. I have a good relationship with my in-laws; I have a bunch of great friends; I still feel like I'm learning and growing. I'm cautiously optimistic about the incoming administration in Washington. I finally found a guitar amplifier I really like (Fender Dual Showman Reverb!), and I got a good deal on it. All in all, life is pretty good for me.

I hope things are going well for you too. Happy Thanksgiving!