'Tis the season for thanks...

I know this is a little late. It seems everyone whose blog I keep up with has made it a point to publicly note what they are thankful for. It's not that I haven't been doing this as well - I am just a little more private about my thoughts in this area. This particular Thanksgiving, I have found myself buried with personal and professional commitments to the point that I am physically and emotionally wrung out. I even had a minor emotional event on Thanksgiving morning that I think really worried Ms. C and my Mother to the point that both have kept a closer eye than normal on me this weekend. I think it was safe to say that I was tired!

So, after managing the workload of a half dozen people Monday through Thursday of this week, and then getting up early on a "holiday" Friday morning and spending a few more hours at a project worksite that I am responsible for, I came home to this simple trophy prepared for me by my lovely 8 yr old daughter:

 A single impromptu act by an innocent. Or maybe a prescient act by an angel. Whichever it was, this simple gesture from my child made me stop...breathe...and let the worldly pressures that were weighing down my soul pour away. It was then that I realized that I needed to take stock and share with you a few things that I am most thankful for. So here they are.

1. I don't know about being the best Dad in the world, but I know that I am the father of the best daughter in the world...And I thank the stars above for every moment I get to share in her life.
2. I am thankful for the love and support of a truly fine woman...who one day I hope will realize how special the skills are that she shares with the world every day.
3. At a time when 1 in 10 are unemployed in this country, I am not only working, but thriving in an environment where my counsel is sought and my skills are utilized to the benefit of all.
4. I am thankful for the men and women of our Armed Forces, including my college roommate, who stand watch over our freedoms so that we don't have to.
5. I am thankful to be a part of a free society where talented professionals and rank amateurs can gather in a free exchange of ideas that builds the skills of many and broadens the minds of even more.
6. I am thankful for the love and support of friends and family who tolerate the imposition of my photography on their lives. I hope that I give to them even a fraction of the joy they give to me.
7. I am thankful for the strength of my little buddy Kirk as he kicks the butt of the big C one more time. Vaya con Dios, my friend.

Most of all, I am thankful for the opportunity to be a father and a loved one...A leader and a follower...a friend and an allie..and sometimes just to be. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.