Doghouse

Thanksgiving 2006

The Citadel, Thanksgiving morning 2006.




I have often written about conflicts because they are so revealing. But gratitude is revealing in it's own way.

If you believe that God is a loving and gracious God then even when you do not understand things you are not blind to the gifts given you from within and without.

As I have written elsehwere, gratitude signals true reception of the gift given. We know this when we sent a special gift to someone and do not hear back. We worry they have not received it. When we get a thank you card or a call, or a simple email, we know they have gotten the gift.

And so do they.

So out of the last 365 days here are 50 things I am thankful for. They are in no particular order. Some are grand, others you could almost miss if you were not paying attention.

My 50 gratitudes

1. My son Sean and how beautiful and funny he is.
2. Son T-Mac and his deep friendships (including to me in a quiet way) and adventurous spirit.
3. Adam and his good humor, honesty and wide heart
4. Camille for her inner beauty, quick mind and artistry.
5. For a growing friendship with my sister Megan
6. For my awesome roomate Reese and the love and respect she shows me daily
7. For my friend Martha who encourages me every day in my life
8. For Rick and his passion for the Gospel, and love and truth
9. For Rod for those exact same qualities
10. For two invitations today to break bread at Rod's house and also at Andy's (who I know will become a good friend this year).
11. For Sadie, our dog, who is a daily joy and plays various characters like her master (The Seal, BatDog, and The Horse).
12. My work with Maverickssurf.com (who gets cool jobs like that!?)
13. My work with Signafur and my friendship with Charity who is a theology student.
14. For being tall
15. For the Citadel...the air, the view, the hardwood floors and the privacy
16. For my trip to New York
17. For my trip to Portland and Seattle
18. For my trip to San Diego
19. For a new hot digital camera for work, and a video MiniDV for the same
20. For superior computer equipment
21. For the finches that sit on my desk (in a cage)
22. For my friend Denise
23. For Wade Warner
24. For Wade Smith
25. For Erik and Anna DeKok
26. For the gift of writing well and fast
27. For painting supplies and canvases and an internal sense of what to do
28. For reconnecting with John Spritz who is the world's funniest man
29. For reconnecting with John-Paul Reese and attending his wedding in Seattle
30. For reconnecting with Mark Studer who officiated the wedding in Seattle
31. For reconnecting with Chris Studer and meeting his wonderful wife Aimee
32. That the three men I just mentioned were all my students and I was graced to have them as such and see them succeed.
33. For reconnecting with my mentor Kevin O'Halloran
34. For reconnecting with another mentor Danny Morrow
35. For reconnecting in new ways with my ultimate mentor, Jesus of Nazareth and finding whole new ground to explore and be taught in
36. For great shows like Deadwood, Entourage and Curb Your Enthusiasm
37. For visits with Mike Roe after 27 years of friendship
38. For visits with Scott Mitchell after 33 years of friendship
39. For the ability to cook
40. For San Anselmo and it's sea air and misty morning and secluded swimming holes near Samuel Taylor park.
41. For CoffeeRoasters
42. For bumping into celebs in a natural way here in Marin like George Lucas, Robin Williams and Anne Lamott.
43. For visiting with not only Scott, but also Laura Mitchell and once again enjoying Parker and Kate so much.
44. For clarity and letting go of the past
45. For freedom from addictions of any kind
46. For celebacy
47. For a new Church
48. For the whisper of God
49. For a good night's sleep and a clear conscience
50. For the love of God.

posted by Obi-Mac BakDon @ 12:24 PM