What I'm Thankful For

When I set out to write this column, I thought the words would just flow and come out of me with ease. But just now, I realized that it might not be that simple. Sure, writing down what you’re thankful for in a generic sense is easy. Family, friends, job, community, we all have someone or something in those categories that we’re thankful for.

My two daughters, first and foremost. I’m thankful that God gave me these two amazing young women.

Comedian Chris Rock once described the pressure of raising daughters. He said, “my only job is to keep them off the pole.” He might have been joking, but he really wasn’t. If that’s the bar, then I’ve succeeded with my two girls.

My oldest is 30 years old and she’s a nurse, specifically, she’s an RN Referral Manager at a military hospital overseas.

My younger daughter is 27 and has the coolest job ever. She’s an Entertainment Experience Specialist for the Seattle Kraken professional hockey team. She’s the person in the background making sure that everything runs smoothly for the fans at every home game. Sure, I’m thankful that they both have great careers, but most of all, I’m thankful that they are both really good human beings. They care about the less fortunate, they try and help others on a daily basis, and they strive to be a great friend to everyone. They lead by example.

I’m thankful for my family. I come from a ridiculously close family. I’ve described my family in the past as something very similar to the TV series, Everybody Loves Raymond, with a little less craziness. My family got together every Friday or Saturday night for dinner. My two older sisters and I, along with my parents, all lived within a five-minute drive of each other. We also all had keys to each other’s homes and dropped in, unannounced, almost daily. We didn’t have to call beforehand or knock on the door, we just walked in. When I tell people this, they are shocked.

And our dinners were right out of the TV series,

Blue Bloods. We had that kind of family.

Holidays were even more amazing because our dinners included cousins, friends, co-workers, etc. Our homes were always full and there’s a reason why I’m telling you all this. From 20022008, we lost my Mom, Dad, brother-in-law and niece. Those deaths were just devastating. Afterwards, my sisters moved to San Diego and our family get-togethers happened far less than they used to. San Diego was an eight-hour drive from where we lived in Central California, and with the loss of those four family members, it just wasn’t the same anymore, but we remain very close thanks to Facetime and frequent visits.

I moved to North Carolina in 2014, by myself. I didn’t know anyone there, but I had a job waiting for me. My older daughter was just graduating college at The University of San Diego and my younger daughter was entering her first year of college at Grand Canyon University in Arizona. I’ve been single since 2009, and since my move to North Carolina, I spend every holiday working. Since I’m alone, I’ve thrown myself into my work and I’ve truly benefited from that, but I really miss family get-togethers. I’m blown away by those who hate their families and dread going to see them. I’d give anything to have one more day with my entire family. I can still smell the food, hear the music in the background, see my family and friends talking and laughing all over the house. It brings a tear to my eye thinking about it.

I know what you’re thinking. ‘Dave, you don’t know how crazy and horrible my family is.’ Yes, I do. You have the parent who drives you nuts, the sibling that you can’t stop fighting with, the Uncle who’s super creepy and won’t stop hugging you in that weird way. And I know that politics has broken up families in recent years. The first couple of years that I was alone were actually kind of cool. But the older I get, the more I’m missing those family dinners. I know things won’t ever be like they were, but I’m truly thankful that I at least have those memories and I encourage all of you to go be with your families, because once they’re gone, they’re gone and you will miss them.

I’m also thankful for my friends. There are friends and there are acquaintances. I’ve jokingly described friends as the people or the person you can call at 2:00 am and they will come help you bury the body. But nowadays, I can’t joke like that anymore because I might offend someone. But I think you get my point. I have a handful of friends and all of them have been in my life for years. My oldest friend and I met and became friends 50 years ago. My best friend from childhood, (48 years), still calls me at least once a week to see if “I’m OK.” He’s still worries about me since I moved to North Carolina by myself in 2014. I’m so thankful for the friends that I have.

I’m very thankful for the job that I have. I work in an industry where a week doesn’t go by where someone doesn’t say, “they still print newspapers?” And I respond, “yeah, if you actually got your nose out of your phone and went outside and socialized with people, you’d know that.” My career has spanned 35 years and it’s taken me to some really awesome places and also Iowa. The awesome places where I’ve worked are Central and Southern California, where I worked at small community papers and really large big city papers. I also worked in Phoenix, Arizona at the largest newspaper in the entire state. The newspaper I worked for in North Carolina was a small city daily and I have some really good memories from there, but nothing compares to the News-Telegram here in Sulphur Springs. This newspaper and this company have been the best I’ve ever worked for. No newspaper that I ever worked for had this level of integrity and trust in their employees. I am truly thankful to be here.

And lastly, I’m thankful for my community. I’ve only been here for three years, but Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County have truly become my home. The folks here are truly genuine and they’ve made me feel welcomed. I have a staff that I trust, and I love coming to work every day.

My hope for 2023 is that we finally end this division and anger our country has had for the past six years. We’ve always had differences, but we never had this level of hatred for those who don’t believe what we believe. I encourage those who are Christian, to behave like Christ.

And for everyone else, live your life with love for others and lead by example, the world will be a better place for all of us if you do.