Giving Thanks...

For almost 400 years we've set aside some time in the late fall to gather with friends and family, eat heartily, and reflect upon things for which we are thankful. Thanksgiving was first celebrated in 1621, and was made a national holiday during the Civil War:

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

What am I thankful for? I am thankful for many things. I am thankful for my family, my crazy kids without whom life would have no meaning (although it would be considerably neater and cheaper...) and my wife for putting up with me. I am thankful for my friends, those that I've known for years or mere days, meatspace and online. I am thankful for those that serve or have served on our Armed Forces keeping us safe from those who would do us harm. And I'm thankful that I live in the United States of America, where despite best efforts to the contrary we still have rights to keep free.

I'm thankful for blogging, for giving me an outlet to safely vent my spleen and my frustration with politics, stupid drivers, and intolerant people... I'm thankful (and, quite frankly, humbled and amazed) that folks stop by to read my humble scribblings and comment as they see fit. I'm thankful for all the freedoms we enjoy - speaking our minds without fear of government reprisal: keeping and bearing arms; being (somewhat) secure from over-reaching bureaucrats. For all the back-and-forth that goes on between the different political factions, we don't have roving bands of thugs indiscriminately slaughtering those that do not agree with them politically.

I'm thankful for the gunblogging community, for everyone that I've met at blogshoots, conventions, or online. I have yet to have a bad - or even mildly unpleasant - experience at any of these events - gunbloggers (and readers/commenters/lurkers) are some of the very best people out there. I've invited a number of folks into my home; been invited into many homes; and broken bread (and Pokemon) with countless dozens of folks, some I'd only met in person for the first time at the actual meeting. Thanks to the folks that have attended some of the blogshoots, I've gotten a chance to see, hold, and even fire hardware that's usually only seen in Hollywood movies or video games - and for a gunnie, that's pretty damn cool.

In short, I've got a lot to be thankful for - as do most of us. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

That is all.