A lot to be thankful for

As a child, I hated the part of Thanksgiving where you went around the dinner table, or at school when you went around the classroom and said what you were thankful for. I would usually come up with some kind of smartass remark, or something so predictable that it never even registered with me as sincere. I guess, with that childlike innocence, I lacked perspective and didn't even realize how thankful I should have been!

This year, I went to two different dinners and we never really talked about how thankful we are. I kinda missed that tradition, or some incantation thereof. One of the questions on a dating profile I recently filled out was about my favourite holiday. Earnestly, I answered Thanksgiving: it's not about religion or materialism, it's practical.

So now, excuse me, but I'm going to get a little clichéd and list off some of the things for which I'm thankful this year.

I'm thankful that I have such a great group of friends here in Vancouver. We formed instant friendships as soon as we wrote the placement exams and as a result, I never felt 'alone' in the new city. As the year and summer went on, I met friends and roommates of friends and expanded my circle well beyond the confines of school.

I'm thankful to have a growing community of friends around Canada and the states. Every year, it seems the landscape changes. Whether I'm going home to visit, or traveling to somewhere new, friends are usually not far away!

I'm thankful for family - near and far! This last visit home solidified my relationship with my parents; I was truly a visitor in their home, and not just the same son I was before I left home. I'm getting closer with my second and third cousins who live in Vancouver; they are wonderful, fascinating people and I'm glad to have that family connection!

I'm thankful for my health. While I may not have the most ideal diabetes control, I'm very fortunate to have the drugs and resources that are available to me.

I'm thankful to be so fully immersed in music - as a student, a teacher, a composer, a performer, and an audience- and to be pretty much able to support myself with what I'm doing. I know that this may not always be the case, so I am overjoyed at the breadth of experience I am currently enjoying.

There are many more things for which I am thankful, but those are the big ones I wanted to mention.

Oh, wait, of course I can't forget:

I am thankful for my blog. It helps me remember things that I would have otherwise long forgotten. More importantly, I love my readers! Thank you all for your loyal support!