I'm Thankful for You

I know you may not believe it, but it’s true.  I really am thankful for you, and though I don’t say it often enough, I needed on this day of Thanksgiving to take a moment to tell you.  I am deeply grateful for the contribution, the impact, you have made on my life.  It really is because of you that I am who I am, doing what I am doing.

I know you’re reading this wondering, “Who in the world is he talking to?  He hasn’t given us a name.”  Yet, I did.  Did you read the title?  I’m thankful for you, the one reading this right now.

“But how do you know who’s reading your blog?  Are you using some sort of Big Brother software?”

No, your identity is safe in that way.  In some cases, however, I do know who’s reading this post because some of you are nice enough to leave comments in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or even in person.  Furthermore, I see the stats every day, so I know how many people drop by The Mess on a regular basis.  I may not know your name, but I know you’re there.  Therefore, I can say I am thankful for you.

And I am.  Very.

You may be my family and for you I am deeply appreciative.  You’ve been supportive, encouraging, and stalwart in your loyalty to our family.  Extended family or immediate, by blood or by marriage, you are the greatest group of people in the world and I am thankful that I was born in this unique, often times crazy, bunch of people in what I feel is the greatest country in the world.

You might also be one of my many friends and acquaintances, and I am just as thankful for you.  You’ve kept me laughing and sane.  You’ve listened to my vents and rants and offered your shoulder and the comfort I needed at the times I needed it most.  You’ve not only accepted me, but my crazy family, as well, and that means more to me than anything else ever could.  While my family is the foundation that allows me to build this life we are living, you are the supports that keep it from blowing away in the storms that blow across our journey.

Then there are my enemies.  I know some of you find it hard to believe that such an adorable personality as I could have enemies, but alas, I do.  Some I created and others just decided to be that way.  While some things I would change, there are many I wouldn’t.  You have strengthened my convictions and brought into clearer focus my beliefs.  My line in the sand is deeper now and I owe that to those who no longer have a part in my life.  For their aid in fortifying my core viewpoints and stances on things, I am thankful.

And then there are my readers, both at The Mess and with my stories.  If it had not been for your words of encouragement and continual return to read the ramblings of a schizophrenic with ADD, it would have been deleted long ago.  Your words have given me the confidence to press onward with my dream and the crazy characters that infiltrate my imagination.  You laugh at the wacky antics of my family and friends and listen to the inner struggles of a middle-aged man as he tries to figure it all out.  For you, I am very thankful.

So, regardless who you are or what role you play in my life, I am thankful for you.  Without our paths having crossed, I would not be who I am today, and I’m rather happy with the man I’ve become.  For whatever part you played in shaping it, I say, “Thank you.”

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