Too many things to be thankful for during Thanksgiving!

Since it is the day before Thanksgiving, I thought it would be a wonderful time to write about all the things I am thankful for. This year has been wonderful with, not only the news of my sister Jenn's soon-to-be bundle of joy, but also the news that Lindsay and I are having one of our own. Judging by my friend's and extended family's standards, we are a little behind so if you will, please excuse my naive excitement. The overwhelming emotions that have come from this experience have led me to feel humbly thankful for the chance to be a parent. Having the chance to go through this experience with my sister is icing on the cake, so-to-speak. As for the details of this adventure, I am most thankful for Lindsay's health. Her lack of negative side-effects through the first trimester is a blessing for BOTH of us! I have always known that I have a great family, but my appreciation for them has grown through this process. I want each and every one of them to know how deeply I care and how thankful I am to have such wonderful parents/step-parents, sisters/step-sisters, step-brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. I am also deeply thankful to have such great and caring in-laws. It truly is a blessing when marrying someone results in an extention of the wonderful family that you already have.

I really could go on for a long time about the things that I am thankful for in my life. My wife and I truly are blessed with wonderful friends and family that have made our lives amazing. However, this year I have been a part of a world that we pray for every Thanksgiving. In the school that I work for, many of the kids experienced a real Thanksgiving meal for the first time on Monday. One of my fellow teachers, Mrs. Davis, cooked a traditional meal for the entire school and we all took time to write about what we were thankful for. As the kids in my room wrote, I couldn't help but weigh the blessings that I have had in my life, with theirs. Some of the kids have normal families and they just made a mistake, but others aren't so lucky. Several come from drug and alcohol addicted families, others are bouced around to foster families, and some spend their Thanksgiving in group homes. Knowing this about these kids has made me appreciate the life that I have been given even more.

So to all of my family, friends, teachers, coaches, ministers, doctors, and anyone I am leaving out, thank you greatly for making my life wonderful. I care deeply for you all, and wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings!

Historical Election!

I am going to call this week, "the week that I felt proud of America." I am not a very vocal political advocate, but I am sure most people that know me, understood who I supported in this year's election. Now, I do not want to get caught up in the controversies that have come up this year, but I feel that I need to get a few things off of my chest. I have read and heard for many years of "historical elections" or "turning points in American politics," but I have never been directly involved in one until this year. I understand now how it feels to part of a generation that fought for change in our country. This week, we as a nation witnessed hundreds of years of oppression triumphed-over by the American majority vote to elect a black man into the Presidential office. Whether or not we all agree about President elect Barack Obama's policies, I hope we can agree that this was a huge step for America. I, like most southern democrats, have had to subdue my celebration of this momentus occation. However, I hope we all can be proud of our nation for finally taking the step to show that we truly are a nation of equality. Beyond the policies and politics, that is ultimately what makes us such a great nation. That is why this week, I am going to refer to it as, "the week that I felt proud of America."