I went to bed last night feeling a little sore and stiff from sitting in front of the computer working essentially a double shift yesterday.\u00a0 I awoke early, feeling even more sore and stiff; not exactly welcome on a day when there are so many things to be done.<\/p>\n
\u00a0I pour a cup of coffee and check in with work.\u00a0 There is some good news.\u00a0 The great sucking sound from a project in Europe that has been the most recent source of my long hours seems to be abating.\u00a0 With my U.S. colleagues attempting to be on holiday, too, it looks like I can put my attentions where they should be today.\u00a0 On cooking and cleaning and, most importantly, on the reason for this holiday:\u00a0 a day to spend giving thanks.<\/p>\n
\u00a0And so it is I start this day thinking about all those things for which I am grateful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0Even though I’m sore and stiff, it means I have a body that allows me to do pretty much whatever I want.\u00a0 Its complaints about my choices of activity simply mean everything is functioning properly and provide clues as to adjustments that need to be made; whether that is getting more exercise, more sleep or simply eating better.<\/p>\n
\u00a0The soft hum of the furnace in the early quiet reminds me that, even though it has leaked from the first winter it was replaced and the contractor has refused to fix it\u00a0since that first winter and the house is no longer worth what it was just a couple of years ago, I have a roof over my head.\u00a0 The bills are all paid and we are warm and snug on this cold, rainy day.<\/p>\n
\u00a0I take a sip of hot coffee and feel its warm, sweet power doing its job of waking me up.\u00a0 And I am grateful that I only have to pad a few steps into the kitchen of my warm, snug house to get it by doing nothing more than pushing a button.\u00a0 Thank you, Bob, for always setting it up before you go to bed (and for not complaining if I drink it all before you wake up!)<\/p>\n
\u00a0As my mind slowly revs up into its normal\u00a0speed of 60,000 rpms, it starts to make a list of the day’s chores; the biggest of which is cleaning\u00a0this warm, snug house.\u00a0 The dining room is Work Central and the table inevitably becomes filled with the paperwork we must use to track our lives.\u00a0 Today the dining room table also sports extra computer equipment since my work laptop is being replaced and though hardware setups and filing are among my least favorite chores, I realize this current mess means that I have a job that pays and allows me to hold other non-paying jobs that let me to give back to the community.\u00a0 And for this I am grateful.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Soft rustlings are heard as the animals begin to awaken, too.\u00a0 Cage cleaning and floor mopping can never really be crossed off the to-do list, but I am grateful for this opportunity to be a part of their lives.\u00a0 Though it is a situation for which neither of us would have ever asked, they have a second chance to live and I receive lessons that could not be learned any other way except by spending so much time in such close proximity to them.\u00a0 Though they will have no idea why, special treats are planned for them today and I am thankful I am able to provide them.<\/p>\n
\u00a0All of the ingredients to create a small feast are tucked away in cupboards and ‘fridge, and though it appears all the time and effort to put it together will be for just the two of us, I am grateful we may eat such traditional fare.\u00a0 Those who grow the food, those who package and transport it, those who stock the nearby stores from which we may buy it have my thanks for making it so easy.\u00a0 The handful of hours we will spend cooking it are but the smallest link in what is truly a marvelous chain.<\/p>\n
\u00a0But to think of today in terms of a chain, one must follow it to its real beginning.\u00a0 So at the end of the short list I give thanks for those who had the courage to go forth and begin their lives anew.\u00a0 Both those famous Pilgrims and, later and more especially, the Founding Fathers; all of whom risked everything and are the real reason for this day and the real reason we may celebrate it freely.\u00a0 It follows then that those who have defended their efforts lo these 234 years must be thanked as well.\u00a0 Life would be very different if\u00a0any of them\u00a0had not chosen to pursue and protect true liberty.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/squirreltale.com\/garneredimages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/Thanksgiving.jpg\" "\\"Thanksgiving\\"")
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