Feeling Thankful

It was seeing talent pour out of him from some unknown place, seeing the confidence in his eyes that meant he knew he could count on himself.

It was a sudden and unexpected hug from my son, one of those moments when he saw me as someone who loved him.

It was one of a million times she reached for my hand and squeezed it, squeezed it to say 'I am here. I am here with you.'

It was the crazy holiday meals trading lively stories and jokes with my brothers and sisters. 

It was the small conversations with friends in which they revealed their scars, or failures, or victories or loves that made me feel trusted, and honored.

It was the sacrifice they made to make sure we never knew the hunger they felt.

It was the lives that were spared this year, the ones I knew about and the ones I didn't.

It was the countless kindnesses of people I knew, and even strangers, in my dark days, to shine a bit of light for me to help me find my way.

It has always been the people, the moments, the bonds, the laughter and tears. It has NEVER been the stuff. It has always been the love.

That is what I am thankful for.

Tim Bulone is an ardent observer of life on the swirling blue marble. He works at Davis Group Consulting and creates fine art and canvas prints which he likes to sell from time to time at http://www.MyFamilyArt.com He is an early morning pedestrian in Belmont Shore, where he resides with his wife.