For these things I am thankful…

Why is it that when a holiday comes around, such as Veterans Day, July 4th, or…ahem, Thanksgiving…one that serves as a reminder to be grateful, we feel the need to not only voice our gratitude but to do so regretfully, typically saying, “I know we shouldn’t need a day to be grateful for this, but…” We do. Perhaps it is because we are much better at expressing desires, or frustrated desires, than we are at expressing gratitude. I know that I am.

The simple truth is that I have a remarkable number of things to be thankful for each and every day. I hate that it takes a work holiday to make me stop and think about it, but it is necessary. And until the day in which my life becomes rooted in gratitude and this fourth Thursday in November becomes focused solely on enjoying my loved ones, I will do my best on this day to remember.

For these things I am thankful, today and everyday:

• My wife, the most extraordinary woman I’ve ever known. Our love is new every day.
• Our baby boy, Oliver Reuel. March 23rd can’t get here fast enough.
• The gospel. It is making all things new.
• My wonderful parents, Bill and Janice Stiles, and their 40 years of marriage.
• My beautiful sister, Lesley, her husband Daniel, and their sweet, hilarious children Sam and Charlie.
• Mike and Stephanie Moseley, the best in-laws a guy could hope for.
• The Ohio clan, Chris and Emily Moseley, and their precious boys Noah and Owen.
• Friends too numerous to count. If you think this is you, it is.
• A job I believe in that challenges me every day.
• A boss that believes in and supports my creative development.
• Rivers full of trout, mountains low and high, wooded trails, Radnor Lake, the Gulf Coast, the Pacific Coast Highway, Chapman’s Peak Drive, the elms in Central Park, my porch, and all of the sacred spaces the world over.
• Michael Chabon, Jon Krakauer, Kurt Vonnegut, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lee Clow, David Ogilvy, and the remarkable staffs at Wieden + Kennedy, Wired, and National Geographic that every day fill me with the desire to write.
• Those who reject cynicism.
• Home, whether it’s the condo we now rent, or the foundation that will soon become our first house.
• Eric Johnson, Gerry Leonard, Mike Campbell, Duke Levine, Michael Lockwood, Pat Metheny, Phil Keaggy, Michael Hedges, George Harrison, Alex Lifeson, and all the players who amaze and compel me to be better.
• The various craftsmen who turn my joy, insecurity, and worship into music—Bill Wise, Fred Taccone, Bob Taylor, Paul Reed Smith, and the (massive) crews at Gibson, Gretsch, and Fender.
• Coffee. Dripped, french-pressed, or instant, I don’t really care.
• Leaves and the beautiful display of struggle they give each fall.
• Food and the incredible blessing that something so essential to life can be so sacramental.
• Imagination and those grown-ups who dwell in it proudly.
• Movie theaters and their sticky floors and warm smell of popcorn.
• The fearless, if not crazy, men of Formula One, MotoGP, and WRC that make sports worth watching.
• Matt Groening and his shows’ abilities to make me laugh and think for so many years.
• The always faithful Honda Accord I affectionately call Michael (long story).
• The red curry tofu at Sukho Thai.
• Goose-down clouds on these late fall days.
• Comfy shoes.
• You.
• And the list goes on and on…

A very happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. God bless.

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