Just Be Thankful

Each of us is how our creator intended us to be. Red, yellow, white, black, pink, or blue — regardless of your hue — you are you. Some of you may exercise to keep your body at a level of peak performance; most days, I'm usually happy to just get out of bed on time and make it to where I need to be. I could be someone who eats organic food, keeps track of dietary macros, and stays strong and fit as a fiddle, but honestly, that's not me either.

I'd love to read more, learn faster, and fill my time gaining knowledge and understanding. But, realistically, I've struggled to find the time to organize my thoughts to write this column and have missed my deadline once again — yet here it is.

When we consider the vast number of opinions, facts, and fantasy that is so readily available, there is much ado about almost everything. So "much" seems so big sometimes that it can be overwhelming trying to calculate all the emotions and make sense of it all. There are times when I concede that I don't know what is best for everyone, and I'm thankful to feel that way. There is a heaping helping of stuff that doesn't make sense to me. There's twice as much that doesn't make sense to most of us, and I believe some things will never make sense to anyone. Yet here we are — we made it together.

This past year, through fate and good fortune, I married a wonderful lady. She's a great mother, a nurse, and my "forever girlfriend." She is what I'm most thankful for this year. She has helped me understand the importance of how two opinions/views may not always fold into one cohesive idea, but with faith, fellowship, and hope — regardless of any differences — people can stand together and love each other through it all. We can all be thankful for that.