A little bit of Thanksgiving.

Good Evening and Happy Thanksgiving Eve...

I am thankful for....

I am thankful that I have this little laptop that I can pound out these little writings, even if the "u" key is having some problems all of a sudden. Even if the "m" is not mashing as it should. I am thankful for people who support Globalscope. People who say that they believe in this work, or they, at least, believe in me. I'm thankful for my mother, who I don't see enough, but who loves me and told me that she was making sure my room was nice and clean for me to come home to sleep in tonight.

I'm thankful for my friends. The new friends. The faithful friends. The friends that know me well and won't stop loving me in spite of myself.

I'm thankful for the power of a kind a word. Speaking of words, I'm thankful for them in general, because without them, there would be nothing. Language is the foundation of all creation. What a powerful device they are. I'm thankful that God let's us use them, though we're reckless with them so much of the time.

I'm thankful for the consulate official in Chicago who was kind enough to email me today and let me know that my visa application had been received and that it would probably be processed within the next 5-15 working days.

I'm thankful for food. As a big guy that is trying to lose weight, I can see how this might seem a little, I don't know, un-self aware, but food is a wonderful thing. Isn't it great that the thing that gives our body energy is something that we get to enjoy? And isn't it fantastic that is most enjoyed when taken in the company of people whom you love?

I'm thankful for my grandmother. I'm glad that I still have time to enjoy her vitality, her wit, and her wisdom. I don't know if there is anyone else on this earth that I'm more proud of than her. She got married at 16 and dropped out of high school. She went on to raise a great family and to be the chief breadwinner through Delta.

I'm thankful for the people in my life that have believed in me thus far. Some of them are not as present in my life as they once were, but their presence is still there. I'm thankful for the hard work that everyone has put into getting me to the brink of leaving for England. They say that it takes a village, and boy am I aware of that.

I'm thankful for traditions. I'm thankful that Abraham Lincoln set this time aside as a mandate for us all to stop for a second and remember why it is that we are getting out of bed everyday. To remember how fortunate we are, to appreciate the fact that just by the sheer chance of us breathing air, that we are about as blessed as blessed can get.

I'm thankful for the holiday season, even if has been bastardized by advertisements, consumption, and Amy Grant. I appreciate the traditions that people carve into this time of year. Maybe you go to pick out a tree. Maybe you hunt for Christmas lights. Maybe you go to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, maybe you volunteer. Whatever it is that you do, don't you love the feeling you get when its time to get in the car and head off through the neighborhoods, to the tree farm, to the kitchen? Isn't it it the right way to finish off the year?

Speaking of that, regardless of authenticity and calendars and all of that- making the Holiday season at the end of the year was brilliant. No matter how bad of a year you may have had, the holidays, with the family and the pumpkin pie, give you a chance to finish this turn around the sun with a smile on your face.

I'm thankful for beginnings. For the moment when this little idea was conceived two years ago. And, I'm thankful that one day it will end, though I'm not sure exactly when that will be.

I'm thankful for my friends in England who ask when I'll be there. Who respond to all on this email sometimes. Who have countdowns on their g-chat statuses. Thank you for constantly affirming my uprooting of life to come be over there. You guys make that choice a lot easier than it would be for a lot of folks.

And honestly, I'm thankful for hope. I'm thankful that we get to live forever. I'm thankful that God loves us so much that he would show up to the party just so he could die. I think that's a beautiful story. A story that I'm thankful to believe in.

Finally, I'm thankful for conflict and change and the beautiful stories that those elements produce. I hope that my next year is not necessarily easier than the past one, but that it will be just as transforming, and that what I've learned will shape me and grow me and allow me to be to the people I love what John Steinbeck called, "a blessing... the brightness in a foggy light." We shall see.

In the meantime, Thank you.