I’m substituting today in a sophomore English classs. In preparation for reading John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, we’re watching a video on the history of pearls. While the students watch and fill out a study guide, I have some time to myself. Happily, these kids are terrific, so I can do some writing. And so here we are. 

We started Thanksgiving early last Sunday when my family got together at my niece’s house. It was so enjoyable to get to see my family, at least part of it. Obviously, we missed Mom and Dad. And my sister wasn’t there because she and her husband were sick. My oldest brother wasn’t feeling well either, and ended up not coming. But brother Don was there, along with his daughter and her family, as well as our daughter and son-in-law. The company was wonderful, as was the food. We’re traditionalists, so the food was mostly what you’d expect: turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, deviled eggs, rolls. The one item we had that isn’t traditional for us, though I understand it is for some, was macaroni and cheese. Don made the turkey and it was amazing. He brined it and it was fall-off-the-bone tender. Five stars. 

I’m so deeply thankful for so many blessings this year. First and foremost is my beloved Savior, Jesus. His love and support, manifested mainly through the sweet, loving folks at my church, has lifted me up so many times. They loved me through by far the hardest time of my life so far, enabling me to find and be able to love my amazing wife Sarah. I can’t imagine a better, more caring congregation than this one. 

Speaking of Sarah, of all the people in the world for whom I’m thankful, none comes close to my remarkable wife. She is my best friend, my cheerleader, my strength, and the source of so much grace in my life. Not to mention she’s the prettiest, sexiest woman God ever put on the Earth. I still don’t know why she chose me, but I’m not giving her back. I just adore her. 

I’m also blessed and thankful for my beloved daughter Lauren. Just to be able to say I have a daughter is indescribably profound to me, but I have not just any daughter. Lauren is smart and thoughtful and so talented it’s beyond description. As you know, she married the love of her life Brodie this summer, and she did me the honor of asking me to officiate their wedding. It was a heady and heart-filling experience to say the least. 

I’m also thankful for the opportunity to minister to the teens at my church. They make me laugh, they make me cry, and they keep me young. We just came back from our fall retreat, where we had such a terrific time. We did all the things you’d expect to do on a youth group retreat: campfires (complete with gourmet S’mores), crafts, Bible studies, movie night, and so much delicious food! Thanks to my sweet friend Jenny for being both our female chaperone and camp cook. 

On the writing front, I’m thankful for the progress I’ve made on my work-in-progress. I’m just grateful that I’m writing again. I had sweet, happy reasons to take time off, but I truly did miss it. I hope you can see the results of that writing early in the new year. I’m tantalizingly close to finished with the rough draft. Once I finish that and give it a first edit, I’ll be looking for some alpha readers, so be looking for that in the coming months. 

What are you thankful for? I’d love to hear from you. Please reply and let me know. 

Interspersed in this post are some pictures from Sarah’s and my trip to Canaan Valley in October. If you’ve never been there in the fall, you really need to go. The views are breathtaking and there’s something fun to do or see pretty much everywhere you look. There’s also one from Bonnie Raitt’s concert at Clay Center in Charleston. She is such a talented musician! Finally, I put in a picture of some stones the youth painted during our retreat. They will be given as gifts to the AA group that meets at our church. 

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!