I am thankful....

[Rosie]

I will be the first to agree what a pain the Holidays can be. Family squabbles, logistical travel nightmares, no time, no money, give me my life back!

However.

Even though I have just gone through a few months of Hell, and have spent more than a couple moments cursing a blue streak at the unfairness of the world, truth is, I am still here, my family is (relatively) healthy, we still have a roof over our heads, food on the table and clothes on our backs.

Yes, things could indeed be a lot worse. Something I've had to remind myself of more than a few times in recent times.

So let's take a moment to think about what we are thankful for. Post if you wish, don't feel like you have to. But despite a lot of the rottenness of the world, there is still a lot of good out there. All I ask is if you do post, keep it clean. There's plenty of other threads to be raunchy and obnoxious.

For me, I'm thankful that my brother was forgetful one August afternoon. Had he not been, my dad (and possibly my brother) would have been on the 35W bridge when it collapsed.

 

[dixiehack]

I'm thankful for my job that I started in January. It's completely different from what I thought I'd do with my life, but I enjoy the work, have an awesome boss, make decent money, and get to watch my kid grow up instead of pulling the 4-midnight shift forever.

And even though the first Thanksgiving without my Granny is going to be rough, I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with her, and that she died without feeling pain.

 

[Claws for Concern]

Thankful for family, friends, a new sister-in-law, hockey, SportsJournalists.com and the chance to see the Rockies in a World Series.

 

[Idaho]

Four healthy, happy, smart, cute as hell kids. I have nothing to complain about and everything to be grateful for as long as they are happy and healthy.

Compared to that, nothing else matters to me.

 

[outofplace]

Darn, Rosie, make me try to be positive, why don't you? I'm sorry for whatever it has been making things so rough for you and I admire your ability to find it in your heart to be thankful anyway.

Following your fine example, I am thankful for my family and friends, most of all for a very understanding and supportive wife and the wonderful terror of a 4-year-old that she and I created together. Children can be a....handfull...at that age, but she finds little ways to remind us how much she is worth it every day.

Oh yes, and I'm thankful for the funny, frustrating, informative, addictive outlet that SportsJournalists.com offers to all of us.

 

[Flying Headbutt]

For the many, many, many blessings I've been given but which I certainly do not deserve.

 

[Will Hernandez]

I no longer have to work the third shift at Wal-Mart or make lattes at Starbucks. It's been a rough year, but the good Lord works on his terms and blessed me with a good-paying job that has security and the opportunity to climb the ladder.

 

[txsportsscribe]

i'm thankful i finally have a staff that works hard and looks for ways to get better instead of always looking for the easiest way to do things. seriously, i'm in heaven compared to what i had just three months ago.

 

[dooley_womack1]

I'm thankful Rosie hasn't grounded me lately, and I'm thankful for Idaho's wife.







I'm thankful that my daughter is well on her way to being ready for college and embarking on her life's adventure.

(And I was kidding about the first two. Actually, only kidding about the second one).

 

[RedHotChiliPrepper]

I'm thankful that in the last year I finally realized that I'm happy right where I am. It's a big load off your shoulders not feeling the pressure to climb up to a bigger and better paper or beat.
I'm thankful to have realized that it's perfectly alright to be content with the way your life is going.
I'm thankful that my ex-girlfriend decided to become my ex-girlfriend because she realized that she couldn't handle a long-distance relationship, because since we split up in August, she seems to be even just a little more stress-free and more happy overall. And all I ever wanted to do was make her happy, so if this is what it takes, it's what I'll do.
I'm thankful for the ability to take every negative and somehow put a positive spin on it.
I'm thankful for having come to the realization that we're not on this earth for very long so there's no need to get pissed about the little things because it's not worth wasting a breath on.
I'm thankful that in the last 5 years my dad has gotten back into golfing so we have just one more thing that we can share in the very limited time we have together.

Finally, I'm thankful to have a place like SportsJournalists.com where I can discuss different things with a bunch of people I've never met, and to have a place where I know I can always get a good laugh.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody. Be safe. Be happy.

 

[Dyno]

I am thankful my dad is recovering pretty well from open heart surgery (although I'll be more thankful when he comes home from the hospital). I am thankful my job has the flexibility to allow me to spend as much time with him as I need to. And I'm thankful I'm not having to travel this week!

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

 

[casty33]

Good idea, Rosie. I've been thinking about this because traditionally it's my job to begin tomorrow's dinner with a few words. And this year, it won't be easy. In fact, an old friend of mine said to me a week ago, you don't have a lot to be thankful for this year, do you? It was a legitimate question because my sister is going through treatment for breast cancer, having finished four sets of chemo, she's now getting blood treatment that will lead up to radiation. And my mother is now 89 and suffering from the usual aches and pains while I'm limited to walking with a walker due to my (secondary progressive) multiple sclerosis.

But you know something? There is still plenty to be thankful for. We must believe and trust the doctors who say my sister's cancer will be neutralized with the radiation treatments. So I'm thankful for that and I'm thankful that I can still walk well enough to get across the street with the walker. And I'm thankful I have a mother who cooks for me. And, yes, of course, I'm always thankful for friends who mean well and continue to talk to me regularly.

So take it from there, everybody. Life is still good because it's so much better than the alternative.

 

[Sxysprtswrtr]

I'm thankful to Rosie for starting this thread.
I'm truly thankful for family and friends; even the friends who are only a screen name on a silly board found on a URL floating out in the middle of the world wide web.
Hug your grandparents -- you'll miss them when they're gone.

Sometimes life sucks. Sometimes it's what you make of it and often, it's just whatever the big guy wants it to be. No matter what, it's family and friends who make it all worthwhile.

 

[TwoGloves]

I'm thankful I didn't have a big target on my back like a lot of colleagues did during our recent buyouts. (We lost 42 from editorial and 87 from the building.)

 

[sportschick]

I'm thankful that they've finally put a name to what's wrong with my youngest brother. Maybe now, my biological father will get off his back and the bro can focus on himself and get better.

I'm thankful that my mother's rhumatoid arthritis hasn't progressed this year, and that she was able to go back to work this year.

I'm thankful that my sister keeps popping out babies, so nobody expects me to

I'm thankful that I've got my cats around for Thanksgiving, since I'm by myself and I have to work. They love turkey!

 

[PaperDoll]

...for my mom and my grandmother, and the rest of my very small family.

...for my even smaller circle of friends, who manage to keep in touch and support each other even though we're spread across the country.

...to be employed doing work I sometimes love at a job I don't hate (most of the time). I may be frequently frustrated and looking for new opportunities, but that doesn't mean I don't treasure the ability to have fun while paying the bills.

...for my dedicated colleagues, though we sometimes drive each other crazy.

...for the not-so-local library, which supplies me with books, CDs and even DVDs almost on demand -- and for free!

...for my cracked-up car, but only because it's necessary. Also the indoor garage space that ensures I never have to shovel snow!

I'm sure I'll think of a bunch more over the weekend. Thanks for the inspiration!

 

[pallister]

Sometimes life sucks. Sometimes it's what you make of it and often, it's just whatever the big guy wants it to be. No matter what, it's family and friends who make it all worthwhile.

I just found my new Thanksgiving pre-meal speech. Well-said.

 

[SoCalDude]

I'm thankful that the company is having Thanksgiving dinner catered for those of us working tomorrow ... even though they announced yesterday that it will be delivered at 1:45 p.m. and kept in hot containers for all the news and sports desk folks who don't arrive until 4 p.m.
Yum, yum.

 

[John]

I'm thankful to finally have a job that allows me to be a full-time writer, at a paper that is driven and ambitious, in a great city with a lot of things to see and do. I'm also thankful that football season is essentially over, which means I will finally have time to see and do a lot of those things.

I'm also thankful for a great family, whom I see way too seldom, and my small group of really close friends. Some of whom are regulars around here.

To all of you:

 

[pallister]

I'm thankful that the company is having Thanksgiving dinner catered for those of us working tomorrow ... even though they announced yesterday that it will be delivered at 1:45 p.m. and kept in hot containers for all the news and sports desk folks who don't arrive until 4 p.m.
Yum, yum.

At our shop, all the food is sent home with various employees working the holiday and they have to cook it and bring it in.