Greg Awtry

With Thanksgiving just around the corner I can’t help but think about what I am most thankful for. The obvious answer is life itself.

I am thankful I have reached the age of 72. I am blessed, simply because Awtrys don’t live that long! Brought into a family of four, my mom and dad and sister are all gone. Often I catch myself wondering why, why me, why am I still here?

I am thankful for this space that allows my mind to wander and share my useless thoughts. I say useless because being a political junkie, I write about the failures of Congress and getting caught up in the endless political partisan trench warfare that we see every single day. But for right now, Congress can mess up without me today.

I am thankful for my two grown children who far exceeded my dreams and aspirations for them. They gave me one of life’s most precious treasures, grandchildren. Between both of their families I get bombarded with love every single day.

I am thankful God sent me my very own earth angel, Josie, who was and always will be the love of my life, who gave me purpose and direction, who taught me what is and isn’t important in life, who gave me forty-six years of heaven on earth before God realized he needed her more than me.

Life is so fragile and fleeting.

I am thankful for friends. You know the ones I am writing about. Those friends who are always there when you need them. Those friends that bring meaning to our lives, who know you well enough to see your joy and see through your pain. Those friends that put a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye with every hello and goodbye.

And here is where it gets tough. My feeling of youth’s immortality is no longer as I know I am on the downside of life, and am frequently reminded of it nearly every month when I lose one of those precious friends. The most recent was a couple weeks ago. We grew up together, played sports together, and thankfully stayed in touch over many years. I knew he had his own life’s tragedies. I also know he burst though the heartaches like a runaway freight train, living each day to its fullest. It’s a lesson we all should learn, but one I didn’t fully grasp until now.

I am thankful for my dog, yes my dog. Living alone except for my Labrador Buddy at my side twenty-four seven, with his constant display of unconditional love, both when I am happy and sad is a wonder that a dog can learn so much but serve as a teacher at the same time.

I am thankful for being an American. But I worry about our country. I study what our Founding Fathers tried to build and am concerned we are drifting away from their vision, which was to have a country empowered by the people to govern themselves. Growing up in the 50s and 60s I feel like I saw the best our country had to offer, and that makes me sad. We wanted peace and love. Today I see hate and division, and a lack of leaders who can unite us, inspire us, and have a vision that goes far beyond the next election cycle.

Life is just too fragile and fleeting to go through it without hope that things can get better.

But I still hold on to the hope that people will rise above the current destructive political climate, who will realize change is still in our hands, who will realize how much we can accomplish if we come together and take every opportunity just waiting for us to grab on to it.

I am thankful for over the historically brief 250 years since our country’s inception that people came from all over the globe with diverse customs and heritage to create a union, a United States of America, that with all our faults and challenges is still the greatest place on earth.

And finally, I am thankful to have lived the American Dream and hope we have the strength and fortitude to keep it alive for generations to come.

Life is just too fragile and fleeting to go through it without hope.

So with that, have a Happy Thanksgiving filled with gratitude, and yes, with hope.

What are you thankful for? Share it with me at gregawtry@awtry.com.