thanks

I got the idea for today's post from an automated e-mail my older brother sent me. It was nothing more than Biblical scriptures, an "e-sermon" if you will.

My family is very religious but the only one who goes overboard is my father. He doesn't have an e-mail account, but if he did he'd probably be sending me millions of these things. His everyday waking life is one long sermon. When I was a kid I really thought my dad was a pastor at a church-- that's how often he sits down to read and study the Bible.

My mother and siblings are religious but they keep it to a minimum. They know that the best way to influence people is by modest example.

When my brother sent me this e-mail today, for some reason it resonated with me. Usually I read them, send a 'thank you' reply, and go on with my business. But since this was an automated e-mail, I cannot reply to it.

Rather than send him a brief e-mail saying "Thank you" like I always do, I think I'll put the e-mail's message into action.

Thanksgiving is the predesignated time of the year for people to reflect upon their blessings, but I don't think I've actually ever given thanks out of season. And after watching the Oscars earlier this month and ruminating in my head over the whole notion of thanking people when an actor or filmmaker wins an award, I figure things have been leading up to this for some time.

So, without further ado...


I give thanks for my health.

I give thanks for my family, who always have me in their prayers.

I give thanks to my mother for loving me and letting me be who I am.

I give thanks to my father for the knowledge and ethics he instilled in me as a child.

I give thanks to my older brother who introduced me to all the pastimes I hold dear in my life today: music, art, and poetry.

I give thanks to my sister and younger brothers, for holding me in the highest esteem and regard.

I give thanks to my stepfather, a decent hard-working man who acquired my respect long ago and still holds it today.

I give thanks to my niece and nephew, who remind me of the brilliance of youth and the eternal light that never goes out.

I give thanks to all of my friends, who make me laugh and give me strength and hope.

I give thanks to my best friend Eve, for caring about me and correcting me when I'm wrong, and for having the courage to tell me when I'm being an ass.

I give thanks to Purple Paulie, with whom I see eye-to-eye on most of our creative endeavors, and who looks out for me.

I give thanks to my boss Miguel, who gave me a job when I needed it most and has faith in my abilities, despite my constant blogging.

I give thanks to anyone who has ever read this blog and given me feedback or support.

I give thanks to the people whose blogs I read, for their perseverance and adherence to something that makes the world slightly more tolerable than it was before they started writing.

I give thanks to all the musicians, poets, writers, comics, artists and performers that I have ever met. They all taught me something, even if they didn't think they had the skills to create anything.

I give thanks to anyone who has ever taken the grave risk of trusting in me.

I give thanks to this city, which has crushed the souls of people more deserving of accolades than me, for not casting me into despair; this city is far from perfect but I love it anyways-- and not for the reasons most people think.

I give thanks to the mysteries of creation, the universe, and life, for keeping me interested and fascinated constantly. Call it God or whatever you deem fit-- we were never meant to understand it; instead, we were meant to contemplate it and nothing more.

I am content to not know the answers, because as the late Douglas Adams illustrated in his Hitchhiker's Guide books, we don't even know the question yet... so why worry?

As a wise man was once quoted as saying:

"For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?

"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

"And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these...

"Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."


Thank you for allowing me to express this. Now have a nice day... or else.