Today I am thankful for my parents.
I was blessed to be born into a stable family. As I grew up and many of my friends’ parents went through divorces, mine stayed together. For that I will always be grateful.
I’m also thankful for the sacrifices they made for me over the years. When I was younger, my mom was always with me, and some of my favorite memories are of those times. Later on, my mom worked, partially to pay for my college education, which allowed me to enter my adult life with no financial debt (at least until I married Jen, but that’s another story!).
And it must have been a sacrifice those years I spent learning to play guitar. I must have made an awful racket.
My dad still helps me in so many ways, whether it’s something small like moving some furniture or a huge project like the fence he built in my backyard a few years ago.
We’re still close, another thing for which I’m thankful. We don’t see each other as much as I’d like, but that’s mostly my fault, since I’m terrible at keeping in touch with people. But one of my great joys is the relationship between my mom and my daughter, her only granddaughter. They have such a special bond and enjoy each other so much, and watching them spend time together, whether shopping or spending a few days at the bay, makes my heart glad.
One way that I love to spend time with my mom is, believe it or not, online games. We always have a couple games of Words with Friends, Dice with Buddies, and Letterpress going. She taught me to appreciate language in unique ways, so it’s really a natural way for us to connect.
These days they spend a lot of time down at their trailer at Tuckahoe Acres, at least during the warm months. Not that I blame them; it’s wonderful down there. We try to visit as much as we can. I think we made it down three times this year. We always go to Grotto for a gluten free pizza, and I love going for a run near the bay where it’s nice and flat. I also enjoy seeing my dad interact with his Tuckahoe neighbors, always offering to help out with projects, fix things that need fixing, and lend out tools.
Plus their dog Gus is really cool.
I am thankful for my parents.