I'm going to beat the holiday rush by about three months, and talk about thankfulness now. In that same way that I believe that I should love and appreciate my wise and wonderful mother often, not just on Mother's Day, should reflect on the gifts that are uniquely mine because I am gifted with such a remarkable father much more often than just on Father's Day, should show my Beloved what she means to me always, so should I also be thankful every day of the year, not just the one day in November. My Honey says grace, simple words of thanks at the beginning of family meals; I am moved and inspired by this.
Before I start my litany of gratitude, I want to say that my hope is that you, anyone at all who reads this, can find the same beautiful place in your heart where you just know that the gifts of the universe, of life, of love, of nature, of whoever your gods are, are boundless and worthy of your awe and thankfulness.
I am thankful for, after half a lifetime of missing it, finally finding the kind of love that makes me weep for joy. ...for the children of my heart and of my blood, individuals with their own beauty, finding their way in this world. Each one of them is a miracle.
...for my mother, whose unconditional love is the bedrock of my life.
...for my father, inspiration in so many ways; I only aspire to his coolness.
... for my sister, owner and operator of one of the biggest hearts in the world, and a constant source of strength in my life.
...for my best friends John and Ben, who will tell me if I screw up, but help me bury the evidence anyway, and who inspire me in many ways to be a better man.
...for the many wonderful lost friends who have gone ahead to the next thing, after showing me, all unknowing, some clues about how to live. Parker Sanborn, Elaine Shapiro, Alexei Kondratiev, Len Rosenberg, and others. Wherever you are, I hope your spirits sing on.
...for my grandmothers, Carrie and Marion, from who I still learn.
...for my step-parents, each of whom has shown me that love and caring is an unlimited resource.
...for the light of the moon through tree-branches, the light of the stars that falls like fairy dust, the light of the sun that sustains us, the light of the fire in my hearth, the candle in my bedroom, the light in my true love's eyes.
...for the magic of song, the gift of my voice and my ears, the uniquely human blessing of being able to touch a heart with music.
...for the countless gifts that come from life around me; wood to build with, to warm our winters, greens from the earth and meat from the animals, spices and cooking traditions from around the world, honey from the tireless bees.
...for the earth beneath my feet, the ocean that courses through my veins, the air that fills every breath of every day, the same air breathed by my ancestors, that will sustain those who follow.
...and for the precious gift of the most wonderful person I have ever known, who fills my days with joy, my nights with love, my heart with comfort and strength, my beloved Honey.
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