Saying "Thanks"

Inspired by a post of Jeff's blog, I've been thinking about some of the things I need to give thanks for while carving the turkey today. Most of these are "2004" kinds of things.

Thank you for:

Old friends, with whom I've maintained - and in some cases re-established - contact. There's nothing like sitting down to dinner and picking up where you left off some eight years ago, or picking up the phone, calling 'cross-country, and sharing slices of your world.

New friends, including people at WizKids who have become more than co-workers: they have become confidants, helping hands, and partners-in-crime.

The opportunity to join a group of like-minded writers, who have already helped me improve my craft.

The drive and free time to have finished my first novel, the desire to edit and publish it, and the strength to pick up the pen and start another.

Family, who allow you to fuck up big time and still hug you. And sometimes (pleasantly) surprise you in ways you can never imagine.

My job, for as much as I complain about it, has not only introduced me to a field that I never would have considered, but one in which I can excell. And the company I work for is really fucking cool: we make games for Godsakes!

And most of all my wife, who has seen me through some of the darkest hours in my life, not by providing a beacon at the end of the tunnel, but by standing beside me in the slimy darkness and never losing heart, even when I despaired.

Thank you all. Have a safe and happy holiday, too, and if you're reading this, remember I care about you in return, even if I can't tell you so in person, today.