Without a doubt, this has been one of the most tumultuous years on record for most of us. It seems like every time we thought we might be making headway against a never ending current of bad news, another gust moved us backwards. If you aren’t careful, it’s pretty easy to forget we’re coming up on the day when we give thanks for what we have.
This morning I received news that Tony Bose passed away. Tony was larger then life in the knife industry and his passing is a loss to the cutlery industry. We recently lost another knife dealer and several collectors this past year. It seems we’ve lost too many dealers and friends well before their time should have been up.
Personally, I had a health scare the first of the year. This coincided with the Covid outbreak and the stock market crash. Riots broke out in metro areas. Hard drug use was legalized in one of our states. More recently, my last uncle passed away. AND all during these events we’ve dealt with one of the ugliest election cycles I hope to never see again! We definitely got exposed to the uglier side of government, politics and media manipulation. As Charlie Brown would say, Good grief!
“I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet”
So while I’m reflecting on all the grief that’s been going on this year, what’s to be thankful for? In the last few days we talked to a parent whose child is deaf. My wife is extremely hard of hearing and wears hearing aids. After talking with this mother and learning how she, her daughter and her other kids deal with this challenge, really put our problems into perspective. What we’re (my wife is) dealing with is nothing. You suddenly feel pretty darned good about your own situation.
My health issues were scary but the outcome was positive and the future is all good. The stock market collapse has corrected itself and then some. Our retirement is still secure and everyone’s retirement accounts should look better then ever. We’ve personally so far dodged the Covid pandemic and every day looks like we’re closer to a solution. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed.
While the rioting has subsided, we hope to see the insanity continue to unwind. Whether you like the outcome of the elections or not, I hope the hate and bitterness we’ve witnessed the last 4+ years subsides.
But to top it all off… a damned little pine squirrel crawled under Jan’s truck and ate up $800 worth of wiring! The good news, our dealership worked with us and got a big chunk of that covered by warranty.
So what am I thankful for this year?
We had a great summer camping and getting out and about in spite of the Covid. Our trip to North Dakota this summer for the Prime Rib dinner was a highlight as usual. We spent the time with close friends and are so glad we did. This is part of an event held in memory of a life lost in a hunting accident. It’s impossible to participate without coming away feeling good about how this family dealt with the tragedy. We’re thankful to be invited to be a part of it.
Jan and I made a new friend who shares our interest in shooting and self defense. Hoorah!!! Not only do we value Kim as a great new friend, its another female shooter. And that ….. is a very good thing!
And the highlight of the year was Erin from TSA Knives bringing a new female hunter/fisherman/outdoorsman/incredible little person into the world. I hope I live long enough to have Katie and Lucy join us hunting in North Dakota. If they grow up to be anything like their mom it’s going to be a blast.
Lucy, thanks to you things are looking up!! 
Katie finds a new use for her shooting muffs.
Our health is good. There’s no snow on the ground! The temperatures are staying moderate for this time of year. My wife has a new pet crow she feeds every day. Last nite we had a Great Horned Owl land on our boat lift. Just a few minutes ago our neighborhood fox ran through the yard. Our bird(???) feeders are keeping the squirrels fattened up.
Today, the house smells like party mix cooking in the oven and tomorrow it will smell like pecan, pumpkin and blue berry pies.
And in one more day, we spend the day with old friends eating way too much and getting to see Katie her new sister Lucy and their dog Buddy.
So you know what? As crappy as this year has been, we still have a whole lot to be thankful for. It’s just that sometimes it’s a little hard to see the horizon through the clouds. But it’s still there. The sun’s gonna come up in the East again tomorrow. Keep the faith this Thanksgiving whether you’re with friends or by yourself. Take the time to think of all the things you really should be thankful for in spite of everything going on. Trust me, it could be a whole lot worse.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
