Thankful

In these trying times, with the future of many things, from the economy to healthcare in jeopardy, there are still many things I am thankful for this year.

First, I thank God that my children are healthy, that they have a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs, and food in their bellies.

I thank God I was fortunate enough to be born in the United States of America. I thank our forefathers for the courage and determination to make America a free and independent country. I am thankful for the right to freedom of speech, and freedom of religion.

I thank God for all of those men and women in the United States Armed Forces for their service. I thank the veterans of the past, the troops currently serving, and those who will serve in the US military for generations to come, to ensure America's freedoms.

I thank my parents for raising me to stand tall and proud to pledge my allegiance to America's symbol of freedom, the United States flag. I thank them for also teaching me to respect the values and morals I proudly uphold and pass down to my children.

I also thank my parents for being strong and resilient enough to survive the depression. Their strength and resilience through those tough times in their lives, taught me to be thankful for what I have, and to work for what I want. I thank them for teaching me the importance of strong work ethics.

I also thank them for teaching me to respect my teachers and law enforcement. I thank them for teaching me the importance of following rules and laws, and for teaching me the meaning of the "Golden Rule".

I am thankful for the childhood friends I had, and for all the wonderful memories of the innocence of childhood, which I believe my children miss, growing up in the world that we live in today.

I thank God for giving me the patience to accept that in the world we live in today, as hard as I try, I cannot pass onto my children all that my parents taught me. I also thank God for keeping me same when my children say or do something that makes me wonder who raised them and wonder where they came from.

Finally, I am thankful for the opportunity to have a day like Thanksgiving to remind me of all of these things that I should be thankful for all year long.