... that's exactly what happens on the blog in November.
On the Facebook, it's a daily statement of gratitude (that is really more like a paragraph of gratitude ... 'cause I never did love how to edit and I sure do enjoy stringing lots of words together). But at the end of the week, those statements/paragraphs are gathered for their more permanent home here. To whit:
SUNDAY the 11th: I am thankful for the end of the "Great War" -- and for those who served in it, like the late Paul Neidermyer, my paternal grandfather*. (*Ancestry DNA test pending). Peace came to the lands on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of November, 1918. Or, to quote President Woodrow Wilson a year later when Armistice Day became official: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations …” To face down the new challenges with which our country must deal on this 100th anniversary of that armistice, let's all strive to make America peaceful and just again -- particularly on the global stage. Were we to truly accomplish *that* task, I would be quite thankful.
MONDAY the 12th: I am thankful for the legacy of Stanley Martin Lieber. I can't lie, though -- I've been a Batfan all my life ... and I even came late to expanding into the rest of the DC universe. I actually passed over all the Marvel movies until they became the next items on my list of things to see in my ongoing #SuperheroSaturdays series within the last two or three years. The truth is that I got exposed to the magic of Stan Lee during his two season "Who Wants to be a Superhero" reality competition show. *That* was when I learned how earnest and honest and optimistic he was about what we all could do to help those around us if we only harnessed our imagination for the good of humanity. For ultimately teaching us that the answer to the titular question of his show was that we ALL can be the superhero, I am oh so thankful.
TUESDAY the 13th: I am thankful for the PDQ. How thankful am I? So thankful, that I'll wait in this line a full 18 minutes and 13 seconds to score my quality "fast" food chicken fix (yes, I timed it on my cell phone stopwatch). I'm not sure if the cars were wrapped around the building because yesterday was a holiday ... or because it was the last day of their bogo chicken sandwich coupon campaign for their email subscribers like me and mine ... or because everyone else is just as thankful for their tasty tenders as I am ... but as someone whose family* was all about the chicken (*Ancestry DNA test pending), I am willing to wait a little longer for the kind of chicken for which I am very thankful.
WEDNESDAY the 14th: I am thankful for all the critters, great AND small. The latest to join our family here in the southern Florida house? This little tropical house gecko -- and boy oh boy is this one tiny. I'm going to have to resist the urge to name him, though, as I fully expect the puppies and/or the kitties will chase him back under the door frame and outside from whence he came. For knowing that sometimes I'd much rather hang out with any (and all) of the animals than a few (or most) of the humans -- and for the variety of creatures that living here provides -- I am so thankful.
THURSDAY the 15th: I am thankful for the whipple. Or, to be more precise, for the MODIFIED whipple. What with today being World Pancreatic Cancer Day, I've got the MODIFED whipple on my mind, as that's what my surrogate grandmother JoAnn had back in Pittsburgh after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, when such a thing was still experimental (or at least experimental for that area). As it turned out, the procedure extended her life for YEARS, even though she had to pop enzymes for the rest of her days (it will be ten years since she passed next October). For the whipple and the extra time it gave us, I am quite thankful.
FRIDAY the 16th: I am thankful for the commies who fought so that I could have paid vacation days despite living in a capitalist environment. (Pardon me, but I'm watching the 'Deutschland 86' miniseries, so I'm all caught up in the world of East German spies circa the Cold War). In other words, tomorrow starts a full 9 days of a holiday staycation vacation. For being able to post on the Facebook almost any time of the day or the night during this upcoming time, I am very very thankful.
SATURDAY the 17th: I am thankful for the Greek yogurt that comes with the goodies in the separate part of the container that you get to FLIP into it before you eat. It turns out my palate in my old age has a thing for texture, and it also turns out that that same palate enjoys the yogurt more when it's got chunks of chocolate chips and caramels and pretzel bites and other slightly less healthy items to enhance the whole yogurt eating experience. For the fun of flipping in my daily afternoon snack I am quite thankful.
