What are you thankful for?
I started cooking for Thanksgiving two days ago. The bird was brined, I made dinner rolls from scratch, I got up early today and made sure there was enough stock in the roaster to make gravy. I chopped up sweet potatoes and yams and made a salad, boiled some potatoes, and took a nap while my sister made the stuffing.
Salad, milk, butter, whipped cream, wine glasses, coffee, football, Wii, olives, pumpkin pie.
It was one of those Thanksgivings where everything seemed to be slightly off, but everything fell into place. One where we all had a camera in hand but never took a picture, one where we all kept track of our cell phones but didn't put them to our ears.
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What are you thankful for?
I am thankful for my children. They bring me joy, every single day.
There was a day when I was told I couldn't have children, and I had no idea at the time how devastating that could be. I'm glad they were wrong. Though I may have, at times, at a lot of times, lived recklessly, the two little miracles I have now have brought focus and strength to my life. I survived my poor decisions so that I could recognize theirs and immediately beat the crap out of them when they eventually repeat my destructive behavior.
I am thankful for my family. They know me, and accept my faults.
We have all been through so much, losing my mother when she was only 40, and we managed to come together when we needed each other. Through various addictions and psychoses and injuries, we're about as dysfunctional as they come. But we're about as supportive as they come, and there's not a day that goes by where we can't all hear Dad's voice ringing in our heads about what tires we should have bought instead, or why we drink/smoke/talk/ignore voicemail too much. My siblings and I now exercise the essence of tolerance.
I am thankful for Pittsburgh. It is where I belong.
The rolling hills and city beauty... the bridges... the history. I miss the sandy new facades of South Florida, and I miss street names that make sense, but I feel like I missed out on so much while I was gone for 18 years. The roots, the camaraderie. I am doing what I can to catch up, and the most amazing thing to me is the lack of appreciation from those who have never left. YOU HAVE A GREAT CITY. Stop talking like you live in an alley full of feral cats. En'at.
I am thankful for my time in South Florida. The friends I made there have made my life so rich.
Some have taught me lessons, some have taught me patience. Some have taught me friendship in the true meaning of the sense. Many have moved on to other cities, some hang on and make it work in Fort Lauderdale. I miss them all, but probably the ones still there, I miss the most. While we raise our families apart when I thought we'd be together, I really did think we'd all grow old and remain the best of friends. I still show Zoe pictures of your kids and talk about you, hoping we'll all reunite someday. And we will, I hope. And I'll remind you, you will ALL STILL BE OLDER THAN ME AND I WILL RUB IT IN.
I am thankful for Joe. I know, I'm insane.
He gave me Jacob. He kind of forced Jacob on me, but still, I have the Jacob. And Joe is old and with any luck I can change Jacob's last name before my son is even aware of his (stupid-ass) last name and give him my (even stupider-ass) last name. I will either teach the boy to love his deceased father, or if time denies us, I'll give him the option to change his last name when he's applying for student loans.
I am thankful for Bob. Without him, Zoe would be an egg absorbed.
I know that sounds... lean. But Bob knows what I mean. He almost always does. He knows he misses me. And I miss him. I can count on him, and he can count on me not counting on him when he can't be counted on. We make it work. Feel the love?
I am thankful for Liam. He has connected the dots for me, from past, present and future.
I have known Liam since grade school. We both morphed into intelligent students masquerading as burnout nerd-type high-schoolers. I eventually went on to buy into big hair and designer clothes, while Liam got tattoos and a bass guitar and lots of piercings. When we came together again last year, I had no idea what I was in for: A sincere, honest man with the same jaded experiences who still had hope and faith in a happily ever after. I have learned so much fortitude from him that sometimes I can feel my jaw drop when I think about how much he has taught me about keeping on. Even though LIam had the odds stacked against him when he took me on, he managed to stick with me through my doubt, cynicism, rage, baggage and hesitation. He is my friend, my love, my confidante, my scratching post. HOWEVER, ALL THIS PUBLISHED MUSHINESS WILL NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT I REGULARLY KICK HIS ASS AT SCRABBLE.
OH. YEAH.
Happy Thanksgiving.
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