I don’t get a chance to thank people often enough. Oh, maybe that’s not quite right. I don’t take the chance to thank people any where near often enough.
So, here it is: My thank you to the world at large and to a few people in particular, some of whom I will name and identify by act of kindness; and some of whom will just get the oblique nod. Here goes:
To my sister Ann for encouraging me to believe that I’m not too old to fly
To my sister Joyce for calling me every day, sometimes twice, and understanding what I sob through tears
To an unnamed supporter who steps up to the plate and gives me the assist (see, a mixed sports metaphor!) whenever I need one, regardless of obligation
To my neighbor Scott who spent countless hours hauling my trash, hanging my flags, picking my sorry butt off of the driveway, and in general being a hero
To Miranda, who has been a willing accomplice to my crazy ideas for three years
To Patrick, who has been there through everything and let me move his bedroom around every time I needed a space for someone else
To Katrina, who tolerated my obsessive-compulsive late blooming
To Joe Brewer, the original ID guru who saved my life the first time
To Alan, who knows where all the bodies are buried including the ones for which he dug the hole and threw the dirt down
To Jay and Joanna, who treated me like a daughter and redeemed me
To Penny, who first suggested that I might be crazy but I’m still beautiful
To Kelley, who treats me like a queen and makes me beautiful if only for a few weeks at a time
To my faithful readers, and I’ll mention a few: Andrea, Pat, Linda, Cousin Kati, Jane, Brenda, AV [yes, I know you don’t read often but you’re faithful and you send me chocolate] and so many more
[Edit: It goes without saying that Sandy Thomas Dixon and Chuck Dixon rate as my number one blog fans.]
To Jenny, for square plates
And to every singer of every song of hope ever, especially the one whom I discovered today — Mandy Harvey, who re-learned to sing after losing her hearing.
Thank you all. And so many more. If you don’t see your name in this list, don’t think I am not grateful. I am; I’ve just made myself cry so I have to close. I love you all.
It’s the eighth day of the forty-second month of My Year Without Complaining. Life continues.
Special thanks to Season, for being herself.
Love you too. And you ain’t crazy (well no more than the average person is), and you’re not only beautiful, but one of the smartest people I know (Outside of blood relatives). And in the grand scheme of things, the good work you have done for so many years makes up ten thousand percent for any perceived shortcomings. You are aces full in my book!
*drying tears* Thank you, JD. I love you too.
Isn’t Mandy Harvey incredible? And that song! You, my friend, possess many of the qualities embodied in those lyrics.
You know who else is incredible, Jane? You. You’re incredible.