Many reasons to give thanks

James Clements
Published: November 23, 2008

When I was growing up, one of my family’s most honored traditions occurred each Thanksgiving Day.

As we sat around the post-feast table, my parents would ask us to each take a turn saying what we were most thankful for that year. My brothers and I were anxious to get up and move to the television where we could cheer for whomever was playing the Dallas Cowboys in the late game, so we would either bounce up with a boilerplate response or try out a laugh line to move the proceedings along. But it was a serious question, and we weren’t up to it.

To be fair to my younger self, there have been many years in my adult life when I haven’t been able to come up with a good answer either. When I got married and when my son was born, those were easy years, but the ones surrounding were either too busy, or passed by too quickly, for me to appreciate what the last 365 days had brought.

This year, with our economy in a freeze and the angst rampant, I’ve noticed that I’m looking inward much more than usual.

Instead of salivating at the sight of new televisions and the other toys on my normal holiday wish lists, I’m spending a lot more time looking at the treasures I’ve already got. And in the process, I’m just now seeing the wisdom of that Thanksgiving Day question from so many years ago and recognizing it as more than a chance to get a cheap laugh.

Perhaps this year you might like to start this tradition in your own family (if you haven’t already been doing it).

I can’t promise you you’ll get a serious answer from your kids, but you just might start them thinking in the right direction — even if it takes 25 years to sink in.

With that said, and in case you’re interested, here’s the start of my list. Maybe a few of these items will show up on yours as well.

This year, I’m most thankful for:

- A wife who puts up with my many faults and still treats me like a runway model, even if the only thing I’m fit to model these days is elastic waistbands.

I’m also thankful that as the mother of my son, she performs duties on a 24/7 schedule that wear me out after 30 minutes.

- A son who teaches me the letters of the alphabet, how to build puzzles and most of all, the patience to find wonder in everyday tasks.

-A family that keeps in touch when we can and doesn’t believe out of sight is out of mind.

- My neighbors who look out for each other and come together for the causes closest to all of us.

- My community that shares what we have to help those in need. Culpeper is more than a place to live, it’s a place to be a part of something bigger than yourself. It’s a privilege, and a challenge, to live here, and I’m grateful for both.

- Hope. Despite anxiety and uncertainty, we live in a country where hope trumps fear, just as long as we don’t forget it. Earlier this month, we all got to participate in democracy firsthand. It’s that experience that makes us the envy of much of the world’s citizens, even if they don’t always agree with how we exercise that right.

- This column and those of you who read it. It’s an honor to be able to share my thoughts each week, even knowing that I don’t always live up to your standards.

Mostly, I’m thankful for the people who make my life such a full one. From week to week, I may grumble about the obligations that go with these relationships, but for one day, I’ll remember to say “thank you” to those who listen and who share themselves.

I wish all of you and your families a safe and happy holiday!

James Clements is a Culpeper resident and independent columnist who appears each Monday. E-mail