#2 Give Thanks

Admittedly, it has been quite awhile since I spent much time working on this little endeavor.  Life seems to find a way of constantly consuming what little bit of free time I have, making my ability to spend time writing rather constrained.

Funny, then, that it is the Thanksgiving holiday that brought back my focus.  Funny because we are about to enter one of the most hyper-busy seasons of the year, when focus and sanity become optional, at best.  Funny, too, because it seems to me that when we let life consume us and it feels like we are stuck on a warp-speed treadmill, it is easy to forget to stop and reflect on all the goodness in our lives and all the reasons for which we should be grateful.  In fact, as much as we would all like to imagine that our lives are SO MUCH CRAZIER!!! nowadays, it was actually President George Washington who realized the need for the nation to pause and reflect on their many blessings.  As such, he proclaimed the first nation-wide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26th, 1789 as "a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God."  Thank George for your day off tomorrow.

Some of you have been using social media this month to announce each day something for which you are grateful.  I admire that, and I think the world needs more of these gestures, not less.  For many years, a sports columnist in the Kansas City Star would write a piece giving thanks for a wide array of things.  For me, stopping to give thanks is not as routine as it should be.  I find myself appreciative of the many good fortunes in my life, but I'm not sure I stop as often as I should to actively reflect on these blessings and give thanks for them.  As I get older, and I realize how finite so many things in life truly are, it dons on me that I should hold fast to these blessings and give thanks for every wonderful thing in my life, great and small.  

Ahem:

I'm thankful for a country and for a government that, more often than not, tries to do the greatest good for the greatest number over the long haul.  I'm thankful for the men and women who dedicate their careers to the noble calling of public service, and I'm thankful I've been given the opportunity to share in that sacred trust and try to make people's lives just a little bit better.

I'm thankful, as I'm sure you all are, for family and for the unique and powerful relationships I have with each member of my family.  I'm thankful for my daughter, Caroline, who at this very moment has discovered her vocal cords and is making some of the loudest, squeakiest, shrillest sounds you've ever heard.  I'm also thankful for those calm moments, like the other morning when she grabbed my finger tightly, nuzzled her head into my chest, and drifted back to sleep. 

I'm thankful for my son, Brett, who seems wiser and stronger and more talented that his age would suggest.  I'm thankful for the times we get to play baseball in the back yard and his imagination runs wild with scenarios and drama.  I'm thankful for the times he climbs up into my lap and starts asking questions about a game, like who the players are and what number they are and where they are playing.  I'm also thankful for those moments just before bed, when we howl with the Wild Things and sing Waylon Jennings songs.

I'm thankful for my wife, who never touches a life without making it better.  Her ability to genuinely listen to people and help them sort out their troubles is truly rare and precious.  I'm thankful she has chosen her life's work around this talent, and I'm thankful for the children who's lives she helps to put back together.

I'm thankful for my parents, who I still depend on to this day.  I don't know the first thing about being a parent, but I try to emulate what they did for me in hopes my children will feel the same love and support I did.  They were involved with every aspect of my childhood, from the mundane to the magnificent, and I'm thankful they've chosen to be just as involved with my children.

I'm thankful for a tremendous group of friends, many of whom I have now known for decades.  I'm thankful that they are always there to help, like moving my family on a brutally hot day in July a few years ago, and I'm thankful that we all still care enough to get together as frequently as we do, like the great Mancation we took to Wisconsin this year.

I'm thankful for life's little pleasures as well.  I'm thankful for doubles down the line, plays at the plate, buzzer-beating shots, overtime, and Hail Mary passes.  I'm thankful for Alex Gordon's glove, Jamaal Charles' legs, and Billy Butler's bat.  I'm thankful for college football Saturdays, Lee Corso, tailgating at the corner of Stadium and College, and SEC football at The Zou.

 I'm thankful for Foo's Frozen Custard (Java the Hut!), the Roasterie (Chocolate Mocha!), Jack Stack BBQ (Poor Russ!), and all the Mexican restaurants on Southwest Boulevard (Dos-a-Ritas!).  I'm thankful for Boulevard Wheat, Coors Lite, and my parents new love for making wine.

I'm thankful for Kansas City, which has become our home.  I'm thankful for the places we've lived, and I get sentimental when we go downtown and drive by our old apartment and townhouse.  I'm thankful for the convenience of getting around, the friendly nature and hospitality of people, and the beautiful homes and neighborhoods.  I'm thankful for the cultural amenities and family activities that are offered. I'm thankful for walks in Loose Park, crazy afternoons at Crown Center, and relaxing strolls on the Plaza. I'm particularly thankful for Christmas time, when the City really seems at its best.

I could go on and on, but the point is this: in everything you do, give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18).  Stop and remember all the things, big and little, for which you are grateful.  When you do, I think you'll be surprised by the bountiful harvest in your own life, and I think you'll feel just a little bit better about your lot in life.