Giving Thanks

I know it is extremely cliche, but seeing that this week is Thanksgiving, I want to remember those thing for which I am thankful.

• I am thankful for my family. I have four terrific children and a fabulous wife. I do not claim to be a parenting expert, but somehow my kids have turned out to be pretty good people. They do well in school, they are polite, they are talented and are just plain fun to be around. Even better, I seem to have hit the spousal lottery. I am married to a wonderful woman who constantly does all the little things that get taken for granted and add up to a thankless job. I usually notice, but I often fail to acknowledge.
• I'm grateful for my extended family. I have parents who love me and still show it. I'm proud to be a brother to my siblings who are great people with great families. I have been welcomed in to Dawn's family, and they show it too. I'm thankful that within all the extended families, there are no broken homes, and the bond of family remains strong.
• I am thankful that I have a home. It's getting older and slowly falling apart, but it beats living in a cramped apartment or under a bridge.
• I'm glad I have a job. There is an element of ennui after 15 years of service, but I have a regular income that pays the bills (almost).
• I am thankful for my church. The one hobby I have maintained into adulthood is my music, and the church orchestra gives me a chance to use that ability to worship. I'm glad our pastor & elders look to the Bible as the last word on church policy and sermon content. It's been said from our stage many times that the Word presented correctly will offend, but they don't make any apologies for it. Mike regularly offends many in his audience and I think that's great.
• I am thankful for a God who forgives. Everyone has a weak point of sin that beguiles us time after time. I am no different, and I am grateful that I can be forgiven when I stumble.
• I am thankful that I was fortunate enough to be born in this country. While the atmosphere may be hostile from time to time regarding Christians, it has not yet become dangerous to be one. We still have the freedom to worship.

There are so many things in my life that I take for granted, whether it's material or relational, or spiritual. This list may be cliche, but it's a good reminder to me, at least, that I have much to be thankful for, and many to be thankful toward.

More games

I can't help it, we have so many games it's all I can do to keep up. Both boys are playing basketball with the Parks & Rec department this fall. Dawn pulled a couple of strings and got them placed on the same team. Here is the schedule:
Nov 10 3:00 We dropped our first contest 25-16. There is one boy on our team that we know from church, Miles. He and our boys accounted for all of the team's scoring. Miles and Drew each had 4 points and David poured in eight. David and Drew each had several rebounds, probably around 4-5 each. I can only anticipate the team getting better next time.
Nov 17 3:00 David and Drew had extra incentive to perform well in their game because Grandma & Grandpa Leman were there to watch. David gave them a treat with his best game yet. The team finally had a fourth player, Brenden, get into the scoring column. He made a couple of free throws to tally 2 points which was Drew's total for the game also. Surprisingly, Miles came through with 6 points. (Miles is kinda short) The offensive hero today was David, who finished with a career-high 18 points. I didn't keep track of other stats, but I'm pretty sure he had a double-double because he was hauling in rebounds all over. It was a very exciting game that came down to the wire. The final minute was a typical close game ending with timeouts, fouls and drama. We were able to walk away with a 28-25 victory to even the season record at 1-1.
Dec 1 2:00 Cancelled due to ice storm.
Dec 8 2:00 We let one slip away. We had a 9 point advantage but ultimately fell 33-29. David dominated the boards with a dozen rebounds, buts only managed to score 4 points. Drew joined in with two points of his own, and one really sweet assist. David also had two blocked shots. That's easy to do when you're a head taller than everybody else. We'll have to do better next time.
Dec 11 7:00 This one was a thriller. We had a bit of excitement before the game when David accidentally got his hand smashed in the car door. He had some bruises and a small cut, but he decided to push on and play the game. He favored the hand a little early on, but by the end of the game he was as good as new. He was able to tally 9 points, along with 10 rebounds and a career high 4 blocked shots. Drew made his own contribution with 4 points. Drew also pulled down 8 rebounds and blocked one shot. We had another lead slip away and had to go to overtime to put this one away. We prevailed 33-30 in an entertaining contest.
Dec 15 3:00 This was a good cap to the season. Both boys played a good game and padded their individual stats. David scored only 3 points but he pulled down 10 rebounds to go with 5 steals. Drew matched him with 3 points of his own and 3 rebounds. Drew also had a sweet assist that generated a high five from the referee. It was close, but we prevailed 17-15 to finish with a winning record.
All games are played at Kingsley Jr. High