[BlackDog]

OK, for the past hour or so I've been sitting in the garage smoking a cigar and sipping a couple fingers of Buffalo Trace. The family is gone through next Sunday, and I'm home alone for the week. While I'm not going to have a traditional Thanksgiving Day with the family, I'm feeling pretty good about things. A quiet house gives me a little time to think.

So I get to thinking about the past year, and all I can say is that it's been one of the best ever. My wife is amazing. On one hand she's as tough as a drill sargeant and as focused as a lazer, but on the other hand she has a kind and gentle spirit about her.

My kids are all pretty much on top of their game, with a few normal distractions to be expected. My two oldest (19 & 17) are in college, one studying to get into medical research, the other to be a missionary nurse. They aren't as tough as my wife, but they have her lazer focus.

The next two (14 & 12) are still in junior high, but are kids of which any parent would be proud. They do well in school, are well spoken, and are attentive to the people around them. And they like to fish.

Then there's Thor (2), the little boy we adopted a few months ago. I still can't believe he's my son now. Sure he's got problems, and who knows what the future may hold for his health? But he's with us for now, and my happiness is complete. The Bible says our children are our inheritance, and I now understand what that means. He is a joy to me.

I have no idea how all of these wonderful things happened to a putz like me. Surely not by my own doing. My modus operandi has pretty much been as Sidney Freedman said: "Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice, pull down your pants and slide on the ice."

So yeah, I'm not going to be eating turkey on Thursday, but I am going to be pretty darn thankful.