A lot to be thankful for

Like many people this time of year, I am reflecting on all the blessings in my life. So, as I did last year, I want to list the many, many things I am thankful for.

Jordan. To think I did not want kids and could have missed out on her. She is truly my greatest blessing.
Brian. We drive each other crazy more than we should. And sometimes we want to run the other way, far, far away. But he is a good husband, father, cook, and handyman who is doing the best he can. And he just walked in with wine coolers!
Family. Jordan and Brian are at the top of my list, but I am also blessed to have the rest of my relatives, especially my mom, dad, brothers and their families.
Friends and acquaintances. I have many (more of the latter) and for that I am lucky.
Faith. It gets me through tough times and often helps me better appreciate the good times.
Health. We have been blessed by relative good health, aches and pains notwithstanding.
Home. Unfortunately there are people out there who don't have a place to live. I thank God we do.
Food. We have food on the table and I love to eat. And Thanksgiving is the best holiday for that.
Brian's job. This year I cannot include my job in my thankful list. But fortunately Brian is still working. Others are not so lucky.
Not working. The lack of money part is crappy, but I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend all this time with Jordan. I know it will come to an end before too long, but for now I feel blessed to be able to do all I do because of it.
Money in the bank. I really thought we would have dipped into our savings by now, but thanks to careful spending, subbing, and continued unemployment comp (which, I know, is taking from the government, which is really taking from the taxpayers), we are doing okay.
The Steelers and the Pens. We have two championships already this year to be thankful for. Who else can say that?
Pitt and Penn State. Both the schools and the football teams. Yep, I said Pitt first again.
JoePa. He gets his own mention. I just love him!
Music. Singing, listening to it, my church choir, the radio. And even Christmas songs in early November.
HD TV and a DVR. I will give up a lot of things before those two things go. I am serious.
Being in shape. I think I am in pretty good cardiovascular shape. I can run almost three miles and could keep going, if not for my aches and pains.
The Burgh. Glad I live here. Enough said.
Kelly Frye and her husband Jason's baby Bennett beating the odds. Hope he continues.
Amy from Callapitter getting support from many people and comfort in ways she may not have expected. I will be thinking of her this time of year.
Hope and optimism.

Happy Turkey Day. May God (or who- or whatever you believe in) keep you safe and full of hope this Thanksgiving and holiday season.

Why do they stand up there and say that when they are just lying?

That extra-long title is courtesy of my nine-year-old and was something she uttered during "Say Yes to the Dress" on Friday evening. I watch very little reality TV, but I make an exception for this show because I like to look at the dresses. And sometimes, the stories are heart-warming. Typically at the end of the show, a snippet of a wedding is aired. In this particular show, a woman who was confined to a wheelchair was exchanging vows with her fiance. After the two of them finished, J made her comment. I asked her what she meant as I must have been on the computer while the TV was on, and she explained that because so many people just get divorced, why do they even say "as long as we both shall live"? That is tough one, kid. I tried with what I thought was a sound explanation: Most of the people who get married truly believe they will be together the rest of their lives, but sometimes it just doesn't work out. But if you don't think that you will be ...

What a year 2021 has been (Day 7)

I have almost no words for what happened yesterday at the Capitol. Protesting is one thing (though I truly think it is and has been time to move on). But to storm the Capitol? A friend on Facebook said, quite simply, " Almost 20 years ago a group of people on an airplane sacrificed themselves to protect the Capitol. How far we have fallen!" Indeed. And, yes, it IS storming the Capitol. I have seen numerous videos of people knocking down barricades/fences, pushing police officers, and breaking windows and climbing through them. That is beyond protesting. And even if a protestor did not do those things, if they followed those seditionists past those barricades and into the building, they are just as guilty. I did not support the violent protests this summer that resulted in damages to businesses and public property (I was in full support of the actual protests). But I also acknowledged as a white person, I cannot truly put myself in the position of a black person who is angry a...

Disenfranchised Republican

When I went to vote this a.m., I handed my ID to the guy, since my last name can be tricky. He looked for several minutes in the box with the cards. Then he asked if I was in the right place (there is another area in this room, for people in a different neighborhood, I presume). And I told him that this is where I have always voted. He then reviewed the bound paper list, found my name, but could not figure out why it was there, yet not in the box with the cards. Then he realized what was going on and rather exclaimed, "Oh, you are a Republican!" One of the ladies sitting next to him said, "Oh, one of those." I said I assumed they had not seen too many of "my kind" that morning, and she said I was the third. Then, being the open person I am, I eagerly said I was coming to rock the vote and vote for Ron Paul. One of the women commented that she liked some of the things he had stood for, perhaps to try to make me feel as if I was not voting for a terrible per...

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