All month long I’ve been seeing folks post their “thankful project” on Facebook and elsewhere, where each day they list something or someone else for which they are thankful. I’ve also seen the posts floating around that ask the question “What if tomorrow you woke up and only had the things you were thankful for today?”
In the midst of my late-great-unpleasantness which still lingers and I still endure (I shall not elaborate), I have also begun to realize, or perhaps remembered, that I have much for which I should be grateful.
I am grateful, as I wrote last weekend, for my wife of 28 years who has stood by me, loved me, and held my hand when it needed to be held. Which, quite frankly, is most of the time.
I am thankful for my friends at church with whom I am usually hanging out with a lot right now preparing to perform in Glorious Christmas Nights. While I know that dropping out of this year’s production was the right choice given my current physical and emotional health, I miss them. They are my solid core. They are my peeps. I miss being with them. I need to fix that.
I am thankful for brothers like the two who this past Sunday saw that I am still struggling and who made it a point to pray for me. On the spot. There was no judgment. No condemnation. Just a clear recognition that a brother was in need.
I am thankful that we’ll be able to head home for Thanksgiving. While it’s not the Thanksgiving of my youth (more on that tomorrow), the time with family will be good, and likely weird. The house will be warm. The food will be plentiful. And we’ll spend time with those who mean so much.
I am thankful for my job which, while not perfect, doesn’t suck. At least not as much as it used to. It provides a solid income and security. And I have supervisors who understand and support my time in the arts.
I am thankful editors who both love and respect my work, and who keep giving me assignments month after month. If you’re a publisher or an editor, I would be thankful for more. Just sayin’.
I am thankful for the acting opportunities that I have had over the last year. From Ft. Lee to TheatreLAB to Capital Opera to Haunts of Richmond and, of course, CAT Theatre. I have loved them all.
I am thankful that I had a chance to be Dr. John Watson in Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure. You may tire of hearing me say that, but this will always be one of my most favorite theatre experiences. The show itself, the character I got to portray. But, most importantly the relationships and friendships that were formed during the duration of this show. I cherish each and every one of my cast mates and crew members. I anxiously await any time we have go get together.
I am thankful for art and the little projects that I get to do, and the hope that one day I’ll be painting more regularly.
I am thankful for music that speaks to my soul. Whether it be Vivaldi, or Pentatonix or Little Shop of Horrors. The soundtrack to my life may be eclectic, but I’m thankful for that.
I am thankful for folks who have been my dear friends for decades and for the social media that allows us to be connected almost every day.
I am very blessed.
There is a temptation to feel guilty that I have been blessed with so much and others have not. But I think the appropriate response is for me to share what and when I can, but most of all to be thankful that I have been blessed.
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