It’s come round again; that special time of year we take time to remember what we are thankful for in our lives. Now I could fill pages with the little things I’m thankful for but take for granted like breathing easily, running water, walking on my own two feet relatively painlessly, lights, computers, etc. I have a multitude of items and experiences I appreciate very much, but today, I’d like to give thanks for five things I am especially thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day.

• One, I’m thankful for ten precious years spent with my buddy Keaudie. He was the most loyal, most companionable, most loving canine I have ever had. He knew when I was sad and tried his best to make me happy. He would even bring me his beloved Kong ball and place it in my lap to try and make me smile. We had to send him across the Rainbow Bridge unexpectedly in June after his legs suddenly stopped working, and I have missed him mightily every day since then. I honestly don’t know if my heart will ever let me get another dog; that’s how special he was.

• Two, I am thankful for twenty-six wonderful years with my father-in-law, Buck Sims. Budge’s dad was a really special individual. He was easy-going to a fault. He always supported Budge and I in whatever we did. I remember fondly riding around in his work van, sitting on a bucket, talking about everything and nothing as we made service calls for his telecommunications business. Even when Alzheimer’s Disease began to rob him of memories, he never lost his wonderful sense of humor. He just laughed at himself even as he got weaker. We lost him in May this year and he has left quite a hole.

• Three, I’m thankful for the 2009 Honda Accord the church gifted us. We had been getting by with just my car and it could use a few hundred dollars of work to get it back where it needs to be, but Budge’s car gave up the ghost so we didn’t have any other choice. We certainly couldn’t afford to replace it at the prices even used cars are commanding theses days. Then one Sunday, our Group Life pastor called us in his office and told us a couple had donated a car to the church and he wanted to pass it along to us. It’s been a true Godsend. It drives well and with any luck, we’ll get ten or more years out of it

• Four, I’m thankful for my three college buddies: Cook, Hoppe, and Brent, who keep in touch as often as they can. We’ve had some great times together when we were younger and even though we don’t get to see each other as much as we did in school, they are the types of friends you can count on to be there even when the years between gatherings grown. In fact, Cook and Hoppe are the reason I’m typing this on a keyboard instead of trying to do two finger texting on my phone so I’ll get done in an hour instead of a week.

• Five, I’m thankful for my buddy Carlos. He’s a former student of mine and truth be told, he’s pretty much the son I never managed to have. He calls me every day but Sunday to check on me and make sure Budge and I are doing well. He’s cut my grass before and done other things around the house to be extremely helpful. He never asks for anything in return. He’s as loyal of a friend as I could as for even if he’s nearly 20 years younger than me. Just an all around great guy.

So that’s this year’s list. Like I said before, I could list a ton of things I take for granted and shouldn’t but those five are special things I want to highlight this year. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving Day, I love y’all, and keep those feet clean.