Thanksgiving stuff

I know, I know, we all hate the "what I'm thankful for" assignment, prayer, sermon, whatever, but several things have lead me to this entry. The main two are a beautiful email I got from my friend Denise about her dad, and this week's sermon at church. Ok, all you godless heathens, don't stop reading, it's not gonna get all religioso. Most of you know I'm a just a big sap at heart, but know all of the following are things I've been thinking about in the past 24 hours or so, and from the heart. So here goes...
Philbug's big list of things he's thankful for (in no particular order, ranking or level of importance. ) Or as Grudgegirl would more than likely prefer, "Philbug's big list of things for which he is thankful, in no particular order, ranking or level of importance. "
I apologise for all gramatical, capitalization and punctuation errors.

-a niece and nephew who make me laugh, and provide me with great stories to tell everyone, ad naseum.
-a family that may not always "get" me, but loves and respects me just the same.
-a boyfriend who does "get" me, love me, who laughs at me when he knows I'm taking myself way too seriously, or acting too dramatically, usually about something as tragic as a hangnail.
-same boyfriend who when we were laughing so hard about something, actually fell out of bed while continuing to laugh, which made us laugh even harder and longer.
-friends who have kept in touch through the years that even when we don't see each other for months at a time, can pick up the conversation just as if we had never parted.
-toasting pumpkin seeds even though I burned my hand on the oven heating element.
-living in a country that can't silence me, my beliefs, or tell me who I can or can't love, no matter how hard the current administration tries to deny or change the basic foundation of our government.
-a church where I, and everyone else in the world are not only accepted or tolerated, but encouraged to worship and attend. (www.Jesusmcc.org)
-a car that (although the heater blower is on the fritz, has some dings, a little rust, etc...) gets my butt to where I need to go.
-a place to live (that although I'm paying too much for rent,m since I'm never there anyway) that is safe and warm or cool when it needs to be.
-a job. (ok, not a career yet, but it pays the bills, and has great benefits, and a schedule I can live with for now)
-parents who though had rules, didn't beat me over the head with them, and though no child wants to admit it, were pretty cool in hindsight.
-a father who owns his own carpentry business, who really wanted to be a farmer, and was for a while, but knows a small operation farmer can hardly pay the bills in today agri-business, let alone put 2 kids through college.
-a mother who was a "stay at home mom" for most of my early years. Who started cleaning houses to help make ends meet when were old enough to stay by ourselves after school. who made both of her boys learn how to do laundry, cook, and clean, who when shopping at (if I remember correctly) Schultz's dept. store, when we were young, buying both my brother and I dolls, telling us "boys can play with dolls too". Who just from those few examples, whether she knows it or not, has made a huge impact in both of her sons lives. Two men who aren't afraid to cry, (okay, so I do it all the time), who love their families and aren't afraid to show it, and can do more than just bring home a paycheck.
-parents who let me take both foods and woodworking in 4H, so I now can both cook the food and build the table to serve it on. Ok, the food will be great, the table so, so.
-a brother who after hating the corporate world, followed in our dad's foot steps and started his own construction business.
-parents who made it clear that not going to college was not an option, and that I'm sure cringe at the amount of money they spent on a degree that doesn't pay the bills. They'll probably never know how much just that act alone has changed my world view, and for good or bad helped me discover the person that I am.
-grandparents.
-grandma nettie, who recently died, but taught me though her example of raising five boys, running a farm, and taking care of a crippled husband for over 40 years, that I can conquer anything if I set my mind to it. (And now that I think about it, should really set my mind to whatever "it" is and do it.)
-granpa glenn, who died not as recently, who although, was physically disabled and who I could scarcely understand a word he said, caused by a wreck that occured when my dad was little, still rode his trike up and down the roads collecting aluminum cans, hunted while walking on his crutch, and worked out in his garden.
-grandpa crawn, who though in and out of one hospital after another still manages to make wonderul toys, and furniture out in his wood shop.
-grandma crawn, who raised 6 kids on a farmers wages and who I always used to help put up her Christmas decorations, who read to me when I was young, who's old upright piano I used to bang on when first learning how to play, who travels the world with perfect strangers to places like Japan, and other countries I can't seem to remember.
-grandam great, who died when I was in highschool at the age of 100 years. Who still put out a garden every year, and lived at home until the day she died.
-great aunt mary, who died a few years ago, who although she had a disabling muscular disease, rode her "wheel" (trike) to visit her sister, grandma crawn, over a 2 mile round trip, sometimes twice a day, who although she was thoughtdead at birth, lived to over 70 years, and always remembered everyone's birthdays and sent a card, and usually a check in her scrawling hand.
-Uncle Dan, who after many, many years at a furniture factory, decided to cash in his savings and buy "The Sandwich Shop" to make a living, who made "the best potato salad" so I'm told, I don't like potato salad, who usually made 2 types of dressing to bring to thanksgiving since he knew some people don't like oysters, who doing what he loved more that anything, going to Merom church camp and co-directing every summer, was killed in a car accident on the way home this summer.
Though, I'll miss those who are not at the table this year, I will be thankful that they were a part of my life.
-my first piano teacher, Dorothy Mills, who inspires me yet to this day.
-a mother who would read to me, would drop my brother and I off at the library, who let us check out as much as we wanted, and whatever we wanted, who had to come and find us, to practically drag us out of the library, who always let us buy books off the order forms, and join bookclubs, so we recieved new books in the mail all the time, which is probably why I love to read.
-music, art, and theater, that inspires me, and also lets me express who I am.

There are many other things to be thankful for, but this is my big, of the top of my head, free form, rambling list. Thanks for bearing with me, and have a happy and truly Thankful Thanksgiving everyone!!!
xophil.