Things I'm Thankful For

     It occurred to me that I'm writing a lot of pretty negative stuff here, and I want to balance that a little.  There are, after all, a lot of things I've been given that are true blessings and I'm thankful for them.  Here is a short list. 
     It occurred to me recently that for most of my life, I've had a job that I liked doing.  I currently work, however irregularly, as a reference librarian, and I really like it!  It is the work I like best of my jobs so far.  Programming was fun, and pretty satisfying.  I loved being part of a Catholic institution at U. D.  But as a reference librarian, I help people directly and immediately.  I love the thanks I get, right away.  Most of the work at UD was too much time alone with a keyboard; it got lonesome.  But at the library, I get the psychic reward right away; I hope that this lasts a good long time. 
     I was born to a very good family, both immediate and extended.  I hear so much in this culture about disfunctional families, and I see stats about the breakdown of families, and I am so glad that I have no personal experience of it. 
     Betty wasn't very easy to catch, but I'm soooo glad I caught her.  We have so many good times together; our tastes mesh so well.  We hardly disagreed on child-rearing, even.  She also was born to a good family; I love her family as much as mine.  It hasn't always been easy, but it has always been good. 
     Tom and John are two different men, and were two different boys, so it pleases me no end that they get along with each other so well.  And it is so good to see some of the things about them that Betty and I worked to give them.  And Tom found a wife who suits him at least as well as Betty suits me. I profoundly hope that John can do as well. 
     These are the immediate thankfuls.  I'm running out of time here, so maybe next year I'll list some larger ones.