Thankful always

Ive never been a fan of thanksgiving which is odd given the fact that I love football, beer and eating like a teenage girl who just got dumped (thanks JoeShea). I hate turkey, and the only thing I like stuffing is…..well some things are better left unsaid. I guess I just feel that we should be thankful every day. We shouldn’t set aside one day and be any more thankful than the next. However, in the spirit of the day I wanted to take a minute and formally recognize the thing(s) I am most thankful for in my life (besides Budweiser, Orange Crush, bacon, candy, cookies and slush puppies).

In one word, friends, that’s what I am most thankful for. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my family. I am the luckiest son of a bitch on earth having the family that I do, and I recognize that. we have been through a lot together; we have done a lot together; and god willing will make many more memories together. They are my family and I love them, in return the love me. That’s what family does, it is expected even if it is sometimes not deserved.

With friends it is different. These are people who are in your life bc they choose to be, not because they share a last name or deoxyribonucleic acid. And to me that is a big deal if for no other reason than I am admittedly a bit of an acquired taste. Frequently loud and offensive; never shy to share my opinion; confident if not arrogant. I am me. Flawed. Imperfect. Abrasive. These people who are my friends have made a conscious choice to be a part of my life and me a part of theirs. For reasons beyond my ability to understand. Many of these people have literally rescued me from the depths of hell. Stood by in times so dark, so challenging that these empty words could never quantify it; they quite literally saved me from myself (especially during the fall/winter of 1999, Angela, Sully, Wood , Sexton—hell all of 59 Eaton). While loyalty is certainly something I hold paramount above all else, blind loyalty is more destructive than it is supportive. A true friend comes to you and tells you to when you need to sort it out. It doesn’t come from a lack of compassion, sympathy or even true empathy…it comes from a genuine concern for you as a person and a friend.

My friends, my family have no equals. I say that not out of conceit or arrogance but out of pride and gratitude. Some days I hate myself for putting them through hard times that had absolutely nothing to do with them, but maybe that’s the wee bit of irish in me, after all no irish is whole without some self loathing. I try to remind myself frequently how thankful I am or should be for being surrounded by the people that I am, bc if you surround yourself with great people there is NOTHING you cannot overcome. Believe that; I know it to be true. So not just today, but every day, take some time to be thankful bc if not but for the grace of god any one of us could have been born into situations infinitely worse, our worst days are better than the best days for 99% of this world and we all need to do better recognizing that daily not just the 4th Thursday of November.

So from the bottom of my heart thank you

Sent from my iPhone