30 Days of Blessings

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've seen the daily postings of what you guys have been thankful for, so I decided that I'd share my 30 Days of Blessings with you.

1. I'm thankful for my God keeping me here this long.

2. I'm also blessed to have a wife that loves me unconditionally and has put up with my baloney for this long without looking to exit stage left.

3. I am thankful for our home. It may seem like a lot of space for two people, but nonetheless, it's the place we call home - and raise a family - as well as make lifelong memories. Outdoor kitchen is hopefully coming in spring.

4. I am appreciative of my job. At times I may come off as ungrateful and I am certainly not a fan of the night shift, Rineco does a pretty decent job of paying the bills and providing darn good health insurance.

5. I am thankful for my car. Despite my Fusion having more miles on it than the Santa Fe that was totaled in May, it has been extremely reliable and gets better miles per gallon than the SUV.

6. I feel gratitude to all who have come before me to pave the way, and when the future asks for advice. The fact I can pass on wise words is enough in itself.

7. I'm grateful for discernment. Not everything that happens in my life is front-page news, nor should it ever be.

8. I'm thankful for my family (the ones I was born with as well as the ones I married into). Through the disagreements, drama, and all, we still have each other's backs.

9. I'm thankful for being shown the true colors and characters of so many people I once considered friends. Since we don't have marquees on our foreheads detailing the types of people who come around, it is also a great thing knowing what I do know now about some of them.

10. I am thankful for quiet time and knowing what to do with it.

11. I am blessed each time I see and/or talk to you.

12. On a sports note: I'm overjoyed that both of my pro teams (Miami Heat, Boston Red Sox) are world champions again. Imagine what would happen if Henderson State wins the Division II crown in football this season.

13. I'm blessed when the seasons change - and being able to see all four of them.

14. I'm thankful that everything in this house is in full working order and that we didn't start out in an all-out remodeling/replacing war.

15. I'm blessed to have such wonderful friends in my life. You know who you are, so I won't start name-dropping.

16. I'm thankful for a certain sense of wit. Not everything is so serious that a laugh cannot diffuse it unless there is a weapon in front of you.

17. I'm more than blessed that my neighbors aren't rednecks. Being black in Saline County, you don't know how much that means to me.

18. I'm grateful for actually implementing financial wisdom. One day we'll be debt-free, but that is one small step at a time.

19. I'm thankful that my mom taught me how to cook so many years ago. All fast food does is empty my pockets.

20. I'm blessed to be able to share my life's testimony with so many via this blog and anywhere I may go. I hope it is a help more than a hindrance to you.

21. I'm thankful for my dad who has always had my back - and for showing me what it really means to be a man.

22. I'm grateful that my only sibling and I get along as well as we do now. That's what growing up and now living two hours apart can do for you. #weallwegot

23. I am appreciative of the public servants who are doing the right things to make our lives safer and a better place than we found it. I'm talking about firefighters, law enforcement, educators, sanitation workers, and all who work tirelessly through budget cuts and a population so averse to taxes.

24. I'm grateful not to work for Walmart anymore. The company is great for some - I admit I still shop there at times - but I no longer have to perform miracles in the pets department for a 50 cent raise. There are some things the company can do better, but I'm just a customer.

25. I'm thankful for my exes. Without them, I would have never known the gem of a wife I have, and how much of a douche I was to them.

26. I'm blessed to be a part of a progressive church that is "just my size". No one wants to associate themselves with dead, and that includes the house of worship.

27. I'm indebted to all of you in one way, shape, form, or fashion. As no man is an island, I thank you for letting me lean on you.

28. I'm thankful for the Thanksgiving Day spread. I'm sure JC Penney will agree when I have to get another pair of Levi's and a belt after overeating.

29. I am content most of the time, especially on vacation. One day I may get to retire and buy that condo in Ocean Springs so I can fish off the piers all day long.

30. I'm thankful for having been able to travel as much as I have had and knowing that the world encompasses more than the one hundred miles of my birthplace.

 There ya have it, 30 Days of Blessings. I don't want to inundate people with online postings, so here they are at one time.