My apologies to long time Roach Family Blog reader. I haven't posted since right after Halloween. Real life getting in the way of cyberlife. Today is Thanksgiving eve. Things are very slow here at work. The quiet and hopes for pumpkin pie are making me reflective and sentimental. Like many family, ours might go around the table tomorrow and tell everything what we're thankful for. So here's a kick start:
- I'm thankful for my family.
- I'm thankful for my Son, Parker. The very thought of him brings a tear to my eye, an ache in my heart and laughter to my voice. Every day I look forward to the next to see him grow and learn.
- I'm thankful for my lovely, kind, patient Wife, Catharine. Without her, I wouldn't be able to make it through the day without her. She's my partner and my friend.
- I'm thankful for our extended families. In the end, they bring us more joy than grief.
- I'm thankful to live in a country where I can be safe to walk down the street and not fear dying because of my beliefs or sect. Not everyone can say this: Muslins, homosexuals, immigrants. Maybe everyone in the country will be able to feel the same way some day soon.
- I'm thankful for the Democratic Party victories in the US House and Senate! I'm hopeful that they will bring a balance to our federal government. A "check and balance" if you will, that has been absent too long. I hope they will bring a voice to those without one. Maybe we can move beyond blind patriotism and party doctrine. Maybe we can talk less about flag burning, stem cell research and too many gay people loving each other and talk more about reducing poverty, providing affordable healthcare for all, eliminating racial disparities in society, ensuring a debt free future for our children and grandchildren, reversing global climate change and reducing our dependence on oil. And I hope they didn't make promises that they can't fulfill in the next two years.
- Lastly, it may sound contrite, but I'm thankful for my job, my warm bed and the roof over my head. My work this year with Habitat for Humanity and the national news of the devastation in the Gulf Coast has shown me how quickly that can all change. There but for the grace of God go I. Hopefully, I'll be able to help repair some of the damage caused by the hurricanes this Spring. More on that later.
