It is Thanksgiving Day here in the United States. I'll be honest, it has been a difficult year, one that is hard to look back upon without feeling downright depressed. But through the haze of unpleasantness, I find some things to be thankful for.

1) In March we lost my wife's dear mother, at the age of 82. And yet I find something for which I can be thankful -- two weeks before her death we were able to have a last visit with her, during which we celebrated her birthday. It had been several years since my wife's health had permitted such a trip, but everything aligned in such a way that she was able to have that final time with her mother -- and I find that to be something for which I am thankful.

2) In July, my darling wife became very ill, and was hospitalized. In the next five days she had two emergency surgeries related to a systemic infection that was attacking multiple areas of her body. For all we hear about our nation having a "broken health care system," I saw no evidence of the sorts of dysfunctions some folks describe. And most importantly, my wife made a complete recovery from the illness and surgery with no significant complications. For those things I am thankful.

3) On September 11, 2008 we received word that our home was in a mandatory evacuation zone due to the predicted arrival of Hurricane Ike. Predictions included an 18-20 foot storm surge in our town when the storm made landfall 30-50 miles to the south, which would have meant that the water level would have been over the top of the roof of our house. In the final hours before making landfall, Ike turned to the north, bringing the eye in directly over our town and limiting the storm surge to 12 to 13 feet. The result was that our house took "only 2 1/2 feet of water. While we have been out of our house for 2 1/2 months, and expect to be out for another 2 months, we are thankful that our home can be repaired, that insurance money will be sufficient to complete the job, and that (despite the lost possessions) our house will be sufficiently like what we left that morning to still qualify as "home". Construction begins Monday -- another thing for which we are thankful.

And so my friends, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving -- and urge you to find something to be thankful for, even in the midst of whatever dark moments you may have faced over the last 12 months.

UPDATE: One more thing for which to be thankful -- a sign that the area in which I live is recovering. One of the most beloved restaurants in Kemah, T-Bone Tom's, reopened yesterday and will be open today. Those of us who live in the area know that it, not the chain restaurants on the Kemah Boardwalk, is a major part of the heart and soul of the area. Word is that the Hoagie Ranch will be back in operation soon as well, meaning that my other favorite local culinary experience will be back, too.

Posted by: Greg at 02:14 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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