Giving Thanks 2013.

Not very much has fundamentally changed since last Thanksgiving.  Hard to believe I didn’t write a blog post last year on the subject.  In the end, there was so much going on....  Oh well....

Its hard not to be thankful for my life and all that’s in it.  I have a wonderful Step-Daughter, who tries my patience quite a bit, but is still one of the most interesting people I’ve ever gotten to know.  She’s crazy, eclectic, and a true unique.  I’m beyond thankful to be in her life, to be loved by her, and to have the respect she chose to give me.




She’s been one of the greatest things about this chapter of my life.  One of the happiest things.  One of the most inspiring things.  She makes me see how fallible I truly am and pushes me to become a better artist without even trying.  I can never be her father, I don’t want to be, but I can be something else.  A loving influence in her life, no matter how frustrated with her teenage antics I become.

I’ve never been a very big fan of dogs.  Their sweat stinks and they can be filthy animals.  They require a lot more upkeep than cats.  Me and our dog were at odds from day one, but there was also the unconditional love that she gave me.  She might be loud, obnoxious, and filthy...she might poop on the carpet leave land mines of pee puddles in the perfect places, but she deserves a good life, because she honestly cares about the house and the people in it.

I’ve always loved cats, though I’ve had a few that tested me, and some that I hated as much as they hated me.  They are temperamental, stubborn, obstinate, and very opinionated.  But when they love you back, it’s a great and beautiful relationship.  It helps when you bring them into your life when they are still kittens.

Much of Nyx’s personality is still developing, though she’s almost an adolescent.  When she came into the house, she was bit enough to ride in my hand, now she’s as long as my forearm.  She still likes to be violent when she plays, leaving claw marks and biting too hard.  She still doesn’t understand the damage she can do to skin when she decides to climb a leg.  She has a long way to go before we know how close a cat she’ll be to us...but when she’s alone in part of the house, she cries for us, wanting to know where we are.

My wife told me she’d not seen me smile as much as I did when Nyx came into our lives, she obviously doesn’t remember our wedding day (yes, I’ve used that exact same line before, get over it).  Its hard not to smile when something so cute is playing and having fun and will have so much better of a life than she would have had before.


And then there’s my wife.  She’ll never understand how much I love her, how much she inspires me, how small I feel next to her.  She’s given me the one thing I’ve needed my entire life.  She’s given me time.  Time to write, time to be an artist.  Sure, its been far too much time, but its time none-the-less.  Time that I’ve used as best I could.

Its because of her I write this blog, its because of her that I smile at all.  Its because of her I write.  Yes, I wrote before, but never like this, never this much, never this well.  She has made my life.  Sure, I still have things I need to work on to be a better person, but I’m the best I can be because of her.  I honestly feel as handsome as people have always told me I am now.  But I know I can be better.

I can be healthier, I could be far more fit, I could be a better writer, I will be a better person.  The best thing is, its not change, its realizing your potential.  Wanting to do so, and not just for me.  For everyone here in this house.  Because I’m thankful for all of them.  This thanksgiving is all about my family.  CJ, Turd, Nyx, and Lisa.  The four most important women in my life.  The four women worth living life for to the best of my abilities.  This is my life now and although I’m enjoying every second of it, I also know, I could be doing it better.