"Giving Thanks"..The oldest of us can learn a thing or two!

This week has definitely not been one of the finer weeks in the near past, but a few things happened that literally may have changed my way of thinking. I'm hoping this could be a "new" me. This blog was designed to make people laugh and get a better view of the inside of my life without giving up everything there is to know. I just so happened to start it on a week of more sadness and disappointment than originally anticipated. For this reason, I apologize for the readers that are looking for the original bounds of the blog, but am sure future posts and hopefully part of this one will bring a smile.

I was hoping to return to work this week after suffering from a relapse due to a serious back injury from a few years back at work. I have been working hard to get back to what I love doing. I find it so difficult to sit home day after day by myself (Wife at work, Kid at school) not being able to do much of anything. The last few weeks my weekly groove is dropping my daughter off at school and heading to the Station for a few hours to visit my second family. Being there makes me genuinely happy and the comradery is good for the recovery. Along with the Calls and texts from the Brothers, it helps a lot. Getting back to this weeks occurrence, I was told by my Doctor that I need about 6 more weeks of rehab, but I can return to work after only 2 with the remaining 4 weeks being done on my days off. Now, everyone has told me 2 weeks is nothing, and they are 100% correct. I just got my hopes up in returning earlier and resume my daily life activities. I was injured at work and out for much of the last 2 years with a few surgeries to boot. I personally felt like I have not dealt with it easily or with any sort of stride. A lot of depression had set in throughout the time and feelings of hopelessness had overtaken me more than I ever thought could. I'm generally a anxiety ridden person with the patience of a hungry dog waiting on it's food, but at work it's different. My anxiety is generally null and I feel a lot more confident than being anywhere else. I don't mean to sound whiny because I dodged a bullet this time with my injury that frankly could have put me out for much, much longer. I feel lucky, just my patience issue I guess. Soon enough I will be back and life will proceed on.

Secondly this week a friend passed away unexpectedly. I has hit a lot of people very hard due to the type person he was. His family has constantly been on my mind as well as my friendship with him and a lot of good memories. Next weeks services for him are not going to be easy for anyone and I pray that whatever higher power his friends and family believe in carry them through and hold them close for the remaining future. Because of his passing, I have reconnected with many old friends and the conversations have been nothing but positivity and love toward our pasts together and how everyone will get through the early week together. These Things together is where I have felt a change in myself. I'm a lucky guy to say the least. My family has supported me through all my achievements and disappointments. The unconditional love and a few hard kicks in the pants have made me who I am today. My second family watches out for me and never hesitates to tell me how it is. It's a different and harder type of encouragement, But having different approaches from different sides leading to the same outcome is good. Now reconnecting with friends of old has taught me time and distance apart doesn't always change the relationship. It's kind of like someone put it on pause for awhile so each of us could do what we needed to do for ourselves. It will be good to see them and hit the start button again. All week people have posted what they are thankful for. I have seen so many beautiful posts of thanks but have yet to post my own.

Before dinner yesterday my daughter was asked what she is thankful for. I was figuring her being a six year old would say her toys or some other monetary objects but she pointed to Jenn and Me. It made me think that kids are capable of understanding "it" even though they don't get the credit so sometimes deserved.

So, what am I thankful for? I am thankful for every little achievement, disappointment, losses and gains, Family, friends and anything in my soon to be 36 years that has got me to where I am today. Happy Holidays to everyone and I am look forward to seeing all of you this holiday season. “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”..A.A. Milne

Finding the right words...

Today I learned of a past coworker but more importantly an old friend that passed away this morning. I can only think of how his lovely wife and children will miss him as well as so many people he called friends. There is a great many memories and stories I could tell and will have to remember him by. Our first day working together will forever be etched in my mind. From that day on, I considered him a friend.

Like so to often, things in life change and distances between friends grow further and further until it seems like there was never a past at all. Not with you though. Last time I saw you we hugged and spoke about our families and getting together with everyone from work. It felt like not a minute had passed from the last time we spoke. That was the type of guy he was. Simply a Friend.

"Why can't we get all the people together in the world that we really like and then just stay together? I guess that wouldn't work. Someone would leave. Someone always leaves. Then we would have to say good-bye. I hate good-byes. I know what I need. I need more hellos." ~Charles M. Schulz

Who am I? What you should know about me..

Baltasar Gracian, a writer and philosopher from the 1600's who once wrote "Don't show off every day, or you'll stop surprising people. There must always be some novelty left over. The person who displays a little more of it each day keeps up expectations, and no one ever discovers the limits of his talent." This is my favorite quote of all time. I have always felt like it has fit me like a glove since the day I first read it. My approach to most people varies on my mood like most but also how I wish them to view me. I worry very much on how people view me. Most of the time, I want to make people laugh. I generally find myself to be the funniest person on earth..lol..okay, but at least in my own house I hate that a lot more people don't know the real me that hides behind myself if that even makes sense. Family and my close friends who mainly are the guys that are employed like myself get me. (At least most of them do..lol) Probably because we are a lot alike and hold most of the same values.

Family is blood and nothing can change that even if you wanted to. (I myself don't want to.) I have a great relationship with both my wife's side and my side and wouldn't change a thing. They understand how I think and most of the time have an Idea of what I'm going to say. At home, we try to laugh a lot! And I do mean a lot. I lovingly call my wife the "Principal", because she has to keep my daughter inline and a lot of times myself as well. She is a saint when it comes to my antics. I have big dreams and a small wallet and a lot of times she has to be the voice of reason before I get in over my head with one of my ideas or "Projects"(At least what I call them). I love her for this reason and so much more. She constantly creates a stable ground for me to travel on and stay with Earths gravity. My daughter is the brightest sunny day to me. I look at her and wonder what I did to deserve such a blessing. She has me wrapped around her little finger for life. let's just say, if she does something wrong and I raise my voice, I'm usually the one apologizing to her..lol. Things are not always easy. We have good and bad times like everyone else, but we get through everything together. I'll probably write alot about my injuries. I'm lovingly called "The Catchers Mitt", I'm accident prone to say the least. For the most part, family gatherings are always fun. There being little kids around now, things have become more tame, but never the less, fun is always in the mix. I truly cherish the time I spend with them. Family comes first and always will. They love me for me alone and I am thankful for each and every one of them. I love them very much.

I am one of the lucky ones when it comes to family. I have a second family away from my actual home. Kind of like an elite club with a secret password to get in..lol. On your first day, all you want to do is fit in, Be one of the guys. It doesn't happen overnight or in a few weeks. You earn your spot by keeping your eyes open and your mouth shut. Take what is told to you and make it gospel. Your not the first new guy and won't be the last. But when you are finally excepted in to this family, it can be as close as blood. Some day you will be the one to except another and it will change there life like it did yours. It's a brotherhood stretching farther than the eye can see. Just like family, we work, play, eat, sleep under the same roof, experience wonderful things and the horrors of the world. We celebrate holidays and birthdays together too! A lot of times we hug hello and goodbye, hang out on our off time and know each others families very well. I have had some of my best laughs and hardest cries with them. But, just like regular families, we fight too. Sometimes like siblings going to war over a toy. In the end, truces are made and time begins to move again. There are plenty of other "clubhouses" close by and far away that you can walk into and be treated just like family. You belong to the same club, you just have a different "clubhouse" you call home. Just like our regular family's, there isn't much we wouldn't do for each other. And when I say not much, It includes some things that just are not talked about, but very well known. It is certainly a Band of Brothers. And I also love them very much.
I'm going to take this Blog and run with my own words (plus a few quotes), funny stories and the general and not so general things that are on my mind. You deserve to know were I'm coming from If your going to read about my life. feel free to comment on any blog I write. I generally pick everything apart down to the nuts and bolts. I always find myself in situations that I wish I carried a GOPRO camera with me. It may seem hard to believe about some of the things I write about, but I Promise it will be all true unless specified other wise. I love feedback and other peoples views. Don't hold back! If you think something I say is questionable, then speak up! Have any Ideas you want my outlook on (Keep it clean!) Shoot me a question! If you take the time to read my blog, then your opinion matters to me. I may not agree or take your advice, but I promise to at least think it over and weigh the options. This is probably going to be like written therapy for me! And free!

This is who I am. I'm a Husband, Father, Son, Brother, Friend and a Regular Guy! I like to keep a little mystery to myself and have learned that that's alright too. I'm not perfect and never expect to be. I do wrong like everyone else but always strive to at least try be better. So, there you have it! A short story and my first Blog in the books. I hope you enjoy what's to come and welcome to a little window into my life.