I am thankful, Lilly, I have seen your really Great Legs before I leave this earth. 

I am most thankful for my wife - we will have been married 29 years this coming February and have been together 30 years as of June 29, 2014...we met on June 29, 1984 - she came along right at a time when I really needed her and she really did literally save my life. Even after all this time, she is still the most beautiful woman in the world to me.   And yes, she does have really Great Legs too. 

I am thankful that, even after all I've been through, I am still able to run - in a fashion, lol - because running is such a big part of my life and I want to enjoy it for as long as I can with all my local running friends in my area that I have made over the years .   I am SO thankful that I stayed in the military for 24 years and have really good medical coverage and really good docs, physical therapists, technicians, etc., who stuck with me all the way  and never gave up on me, and who keep helping me continue to live the active life I want to live.

I am thankful for all the virtual friends I have on these forums - this one and the RW forum - and glad I had the opportunity to meet several of you in person over the years.  All of you are great and I enjoy interacting with you here.

Lastly, I am thankful if I can make you laugh or smile once in a while.  I have a kind of 'warped' sense of humor - and sometimes a 'gallows humor' that lots of we military folks use to help us cope with situations, and sometimes non-military folks don't get that.  I tend to laugh at myself quite a bit, which helps keep me going.   If I have ever helped you to laugh or smile once in a while, then I am thankful for that, because one thing I learned for myself is that a sense of humor can really help you get through some rough times and help you keep a positive attitude.    If I have helped anyone do that, then I am thankful for that; and after I have departed from this life, if someone says "That darn Scottydog, he sure made me laugh at times", then my life will not have been in vain.

I'm thankful for body parts which heal, and hearts and souls as well. I'm thankful for time.

I'm thankful for the bozydecos and the Jays and the Cheries and Amys and the Georges and everyone else who reads my RRs and takes the time to let me know that they have. By doing so, they share with me the only personal triumphs I have ever known. And on days of disappointment, they are there for me as well. It wouldn't be the same for me without them.

I'm thankful for the scottydawgs of this world. People with an incredible amount of generosity in them. They are like bright lights in my life and yes, they make me smile and laugh (thank you, Scotty! :-))

Finally, I'm thankful for freedom. Freedom of expression, which I am always so happy to use. A modest financial freedom due to time and good luck. Freedom brought by good health, which allows me to work and play as hard as I want. Freedom to be whatever I want to be, thanks again to the times we live in and also to where I was randomly born. So much to be grateful for...

And of course, wine! I'm grateful for wine!