What are you thankful for? I ask myself that question every year on Thanksgiving, even though I know I should be asking it much more often. Despite my cynical nature and the fact that it seems like I bitch about everything here, I am quite thankful for a lot of things. I piss and moan in my writings because it is my vent. I write down the things that piss me off instead of drinking them away or loading up a large caliber hunting rifle and heading to the local mall.

I am thankful for my wife and my children. They are the reason that I keep going and why I don't mind working seven days a week between my job and my fledgling business. I want my kids to remember that they didn't want for much when they were growing up. The hard part is instilling a sense of work ethic in them at the same time. I want my kids to understand that hard work usually offers the greatest rewards even if that is not always the case. Sometimes the hard work of Mom and Dad becomes the kid's rewards.

I am thankful for my parents and sister. I am thankful that we still live close to each other and that no one is more than a matter of minutes away rather than hours. I am thankful that my sister and her husband still live here and not away, because I know that someday that could happen. It's always a possibility when one person is from away to begin with, so it is nice to see that they are still here.

I am thankful for all the help and friendship I have from my dad. He has been invaluable to me in trying to get things off the ground and he has as much or more enthusiasm for the things I dream up as I do.

I am thankful that I have a job, and a damned good one at that. There's not much more to say about this, but it is an understatement just the same.

I am thankful for my extended family as they have always treated me like I was one of them from the beginning.

I am thankful for many things and while I will be resorting to my more cynical ways after this post, I thought I would mention some of them.

Have a nice Thanksgiving folks.