So, thirty days hath November.   At least that is what that old poem and both of my calendars tell me so it must be true.   I know some people have listed something they are thankful for each day and I like the idea.   However I missed the first week and then the second and was about to give up.   That being said I hate to pass up an opportunity to spout gripping prose and maybe cause a few tears so.... without further delay....  30 days of thanks:

To begin with I am thankful for (1) my grandfather.   He may not be with me anymore but without him I would never be where I am today.   I am also thankful for (2) my mom and (3) dad.   They have had to put up with a lot of my eccentricities over the years and yet they still love me.

Finishing off the category of family I want to acknowledge (4) my cousin Ben who is in many ways my oldest friend and not unlike a brother to me.

It would seem unfair to group all of my wonderful friends from FPC into one line item so I am going to break it up a little bit.   First of all there is (5) my B-Tower group; Terrell, Tony, Snow, Kyle, and Herve.   Secondly, and it's hard to put a label on this group, are (6) my friends from the class of '04; Aaron, Sean, Shawn, Chad, Kristin, Clint, etc. it really sucked not having any of you around for my senior year.   I should also mention (7) the poli-sci mafia, Terrell (again), Derek, Remi, Alex, Nikki, and Zeb (wherever he is).    Finally, finishing out the list of FPC people, and meriting her own line item, I am thankful for (8) Stacey.   No ordinary human being would still speak to me after all of the wierdness that happened between us and yet you were there for me when I needed someone most.

I am thankful (9) to be in law school.   I know that 1L year is supposed to be hell but I find myself happier than I have been in a long time.   I also know that part of that is due to (10) all of my new friends here at Drake.   I am also thankful for (11) the string of choices, coincidences and random events that led me to be here, now, in such fine company.   I am also thankful for (12) the possibilities that the future holds both long term and short term.   While there are times I want to skip ahead knowing that my favorite part is probably yet to come I really have been enjoying watching the story unfold.

Finishing out the "people" part of this list I am thankful for (13) all of the great teachers and mentors I have had in my life.   There are a few that I do need to single out for their profound impact (14) Mr. Anderson, (15) Dr. Cohen, (16) Dr. Marra, and (17) Prof. Costa.

I am thankful for (18) the time I spent at CloseUp and the people I met there.   I hate that I have been so bad at staying in touch with everyone.   I am also thankful for (19) my masters and the people I met while getting it.

I am thankful for (20) all the great stories I have read and been shaped/inspired by.   I have written before about how I owe much of what I am to my having been exposed to the great works of literature at a young age.   I am also thankful for (21) my moral compass and the ethics which I try to live by.   I am thankful for (22) my intellect, I know I was born with an advantage and I hope that I have not wasted it.    This may sound shallow but I am thankful for (23) technology.   People may complain about it but I believe that it enriches all of our lives in some way.

I am thankful for (24) free will.   I like knowing and believing that my destiny is mine to shape.   At the same time I am thankful for (25) language.   Perhaps the greatest invention of mankind is our ability to communicate complex thoughts and feelings so effectively.   Hand in hand with that is (26) liberty, the ability to think, act, and live in a manner that we choose.

I am thankful that (27) I have grown to accept myself, the best and the worst, and that I have finally decided to live every moment as myself, complete and unabridged.    At the same time I am thankful for (28) my health.

Finally I am thankful for (29) all the things I have yet to do.   This year alone I plan on completing at least three of my "bucket list" items.   I say "finally" because I am going to hold on to number 30.   There are at least a couple of weeks left in this month and I am hopeful that something awesome will happen... something so unspeakably wonderful that it would be immoral of me not to include it on this list.   So, like the best stories, I am going to end this list with one of my favorite phrases "to be continued."