NOVEMBER 2005 - Things for which I am thankful:
Big back yards All the kids come to our house to play, and that’s more than fine with me.
A good dog. I’ve had a couple of them, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. They are faithful companions, protectors of my family, friends for my kids and a comfort to my wife.
My pastor.
My church.
My family.
My home.
My job.
My truck. It’s 13 years old with a tailgate that’s stuck and all the vents in the dash are broken, but it’s been dependable transportation and, in these days of $2.50 a gallon gas, I can fill it up for about half the price of any of my friends who drive those big SUVs.
Christian radio. You’ve heard the computer adage, garbage in, garbage out. Well, I happen to believe the same is true of our minds. Listening to Christian radio fills my brain and heart with positive, faith-affirming messages rather than the junk on most of the other stations.
Books. From the Bible to Harry Potter to Jan Karon’s Mitford series, I love being able to get lost in a book and let my imagination do the work that too many people let TVs or movies do for them now.
The smell of fresh pine straw in the autumn sun. On warm autumn days, I love walking outside right after I’ve laid down new mulch in my garden. It is a wonderful smell that I find unbelievably comforting.
Real cranberry sauce. I grew up with the canned stuff and the first time I had the real thing, I couldn’t believe it!
Clothes washers and dryers.
Once, when I was in college, I had to do laundry by hand and hang it out on a line. Those were the stiffest blue jeans I’ve ever put on my body and I hope I never have to do that again.
Cheesecake. I don’t know who came up with the idea to take cream cheese, add sugar, and chill it on a graham cracker crust, but that person must have been doing something right.
The Griffins, The Coles and The Carters. I’m an only child, so now that my folks are gone, there’s really not anybody to call when I’m in need. In my hour of darkest need, the day my daughter had 3 seizures, these three families who and stood beside us, cried with us, prayed with us and helped us through the next few days.
Football I know it sounds crazy, but let me explain. I didn’t play football growing up. Didn’t care for it. Didn’t know anything about it, and I after I got to the end of high school, I decided that I was at a distinct disadvantage for not knowing the game. At the time, the concern was popularity, but now that I’m older, I have a whole new perspective.
My son played junior pee wee, and I have watched him learn some super important life lessons there. For instance:
When you listen to the coach and do what he says, you tend to win.
Not everyone is a ball carrier, but that doesn’t mean your role is any less important.
Winning isn’t everything, especially if you tried your best.
When you do win, it’s wonderful, but the best winners don’t gloat.
Officials are doing to make mistakes, and that can make you mad, but ultimately, in the long run if you do your part, their mistakes won’t determine your outcome.
A guy you can tackle on the field and be good friends with off the field is a guy who understands that life is more than football, in fact, it’s not a game at all.
Some parents take football way too seriously. It’s a game. The likelihood of a junior pee wee player making it the pros is probably l in 5 million or more. Let your kids learn and enjoy the experience, don’t make it a job for them.
Daylight savings time. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why we had to set our clocks back an hour. It made absolutely no good difference in my life, but it did rob my kids of some extra play time and cause us to turn our lights on an hour earlier.
A good dog. I’ve had a couple of them, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. They are faithful companions, protectors of my family, friends for my kids and a comfort to my wife.
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