Time to give thanks.

As I sit on my back porch in sweats and a T-shirt (now I remember why we tolerate the unbearable heat and humidity of SE Texas in the summer) I take pause to remember how great it is to live in a country where we are free to do as we please.

I'm sitting here smoking a turkey. 11 or 12 hours from now, we're going to have some tasty goodness coming off the smoker and we'll have friends and family over for Thanksgiving dinner and it will be a wonderful time.


But I have to remember that there are places in the world, MOST other places as a matter of fact, where people are either not free to do what I am doing, or they don't have the resources to do what I am doing right now.

Cooking a meal for extended family and friends.

A lot of the rest of the world has people just trying to figure out what their next meal will be, or even more important, when their next meal will be.


We live in a country where we the people have the freedoms and ambition to do what is needed to make this Country, this United States of America, the greatest place to live on earth.

We do not live in a 3rd world nation.

The United States of America is not a third world nation.


Unfortunately, a lot of other folks out there in the world, want us to be.


I just hope that our "Leaders" don't mess things up so bad that we become one.


I am thankful today for my family. Their health. Their prosperity. Even those in the family who aren't doing so well, really are still fortunate in that we all have roofs over our heads, and food on the table, whether it be at our own house, or Grandma's house.

Let's just take pause today, for a minute, and remember those less fortunate than we.

Let's take pause today, and for a minute think about the brave men and women of our Armed Forces who are in various hell holes around the world fighting for our right to sit on the back porch and relax while smoking a turkey.

God Bless us all. Especially those less fortunate that I.

Hug your family and tell them you love them!