What Am I Thankful For...Updated for 2009.

Now I originally wrote much of what you'll see below on the blog last year after Thanksgiving. A lot has happened in the year since. But many of these I am still thankful for. Please allow me the pleasure of giving thanks.

By the time this post comes online, I will either be in Crown Point, IN, partaking in Thanksgiving festivities with my in-laws, or on the road heading home, ready to face whatever calamity will come up (we've driven home from Indiana through snowstorms, rainstorms, balding tires, sometimes rain and balding tires at the same time, and the best one, a deer at 65 miles per hour. Needless to say, every trip home is an adventure!!!)

Anyway, I can rattle on and on about how tough it is nowadays, but everyone already has an idea. For all the bad news out there (and it seems there is plenty), there is so much for me personally to be thankful for.

I am thankful that I have a wonderful family that gives me a reason to be alive. My wife and I have been together for 11 wonderful years, and I look forward to many more with her. Though we may have had our share of disagreements, the good times outweigh all the bad. We constantly talk about how it would be nice if we went to this place, or if we had this car, or whatever. But those are just dreams for the moment. I hope that one day that we get to realize those dreams. For now, we just have to keep going with what we have. As with many who took this vow of marriage, I promised to be with her for richer or poorer, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I loved her then, and I love her more so now.

I have two beautiful children who I love with all my heart. I am truly grateful to have them in my life. I may be a little strict with them about their grades in school (oh my gosh, I've become MY OWN FATHER), but to hear them laugh, and to see them show both their mother and me how much they love us makes up for all of that. I love hearing them laugh, and seeing them smile. It is for them that I work as hard as I can. Although there are many nights that I come home and they are already in bed, I make sure to give them my full attention when I am with them in the mornings before going to school. They are both growing up so fast, it's hard to believe that not a long time ago, they were babies who I could carry rather easily. Both their mom and I have a lot of work to do raising them, but it is something that I would never exchange.

I am thankful to have a family to lean on when times are hard. My parents, who have been my support when I have nobody to turn to when I'm having troubles and give me good advice whether I ask or not. My siblings, who keep me grounded as a person (based on whatever they're doing in their lives). Even my in-laws...who help keep my wife in check and make sure that she's doing well.

I am thankful for having a steady job. I've been working at the same place for more than eleven years now. Long ago, I was told that the average person lasts two years or less in one job. I have seen many people here come and go in eleven years, more so this year. I am grateful that I still have a place to earn a living through these troubled times.

I am thankful for having a roof over my family's head. Yes, I have to admit it's been rough at times, both financially and physically (and by this, I mean our house is old, and there has been a lot of work that needed to be done with it), and somehow we are able to scrape through another month. A lot of sleepless nights have happened over the last few years. But somehow, we overcome and are able to continue and still have a place to call home. I hope in the future, things will get better.

I am thankful that we have food on our table. We don't eat out as often as before, and we've had to cut back on many luxury items (seafood, steak), but our kids love home-made mac and cheese and those little Vienna sausages (not necessarily together mind you, but that has been dinner some nights). I'm not saying that we've had to totally give up on good food, but as long as we have the basics (milk, bread, eggs), and we're never out of pasta, I'm happy.

The final thing I am for which I am thankful, is for all intents and purposes, is a reason I am able to keep sane through all the things going on in my life. It is something that many understand, but few will admit relating to it. Many people, no matter what their situation, have at least one. And often times, use it for the same reasons I do. For the goals this one thing accomplishes is not just to give joy to my life, but to give it an escape. An outlet if you will, to a time where I didn't have stress, or have much to worry. This one thing is the reason why I write this humble little blog. I give thanks to the Hobby. Because with everything going on in the world today, second to my family, it is the one thing that gives me comfort.

If this sounds like I'm whining at the same time that I'm being grateful, I apologize as that was not the intent of my writing. There are many people out there who are struggling and somehow surviving on less than what we have. To them I pray that things will get better. It will take some work, but it will get better.

If there is one thing I have forgotten to do above, it's to say thank you to those who have read my blog, left comments, accepted me into this crazy community, and have added to my card collection since I started this blog. Thank you for adding me to your blogrolls, your blog readers, and welcoming me into your online lives. I will do my best to fill this blog with information that I continually promise to provide. After all, 2010 Topps Series I won't be out until January, and I don't plan on leaving this site hanging until then.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama