I am grateful that Marcia posted this. It was a gift .

I am grateful for SPUR-of-the-moment decisions that add spark and spice to life.

I am grateful for a beautiful moon to admire in the evenings.

I am grateful for a thumping of the Heat last night – what a fun game to watch when you are a SPURS fan.

If my Dad were a SPURS player, he would be Tim Duncan. Or old school David Robinson. Yeah, that’s it. David Robinson.

I am grateful for this 34 year old anniversary – on Friday, June 13th, 1980, my life changed for the better. He doesn’t always save us from – sometimes He carries us through. The memories flood in – a phone call from Dwight in Alaska, my parents and Angela by my side at Wesley Med Center, going to McDonald’s as soon as I left the hospital with the personalized blue t-shirt that answered all the questions, the EMTs that came to visit me, the scrapbook full of cards, putting my legs over the side of the bed for the first time and thinking I was going to die from the pain, getting hooked on professional wrestling, Young and the Restless, and As the World Turns while in the hospital, and on and on and on… I wish I still had my “accident” box. Maybe someday.

I am grateful for silly emails from Karissa that make me laugh out loud. That girl needs her own reality show. Talk about must-see-TV.

I am grateful that I don’t really like raisins, because I made oatmeal raisin cookies for the very first time last night, and they didn’t turn out too great. Me, the one who loves to bake and if I can boast a little, I think I bake pretty well. But, man, oh man, these cookies are ugly. It’s a good thing Sam eats almost anything. I just hope Dad and Max do, too, and enjoy crumbles instead of cookies.

I am grateful that my Dad is an example of Marcia’s post above. He has broken the chain. He lives it out every day.

Speaking of Dad, one of my most favorite memories and one I’m sure I’ve already written about in previous entries: getting to stay up until he came home from work and sharing a bowl of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese with him. I am grateful that Mom let me stay up late, that Dad loved macaroni and cheese like me, and that we had that time together.

I am grateful for a pair of jeans. And I am grateful that I can wear jeans to work on Fridays. I love being comfortable.

I am grateful that a girl I helped with her resume got the job. Okay, all I did was print it for her in last minute desperation. But I just saw her in the hallway, and she now works in the building. I’ll take 1/28th credit.

I am grateful for the Dads in my life. There have been many over the years to admire and from whom to learn valuable lessons. My pastors: Lowell, Gary, Jim, Keven, and now Adam; uncles: Tommy, Floyd, Lloyde, Charlie, Gene, Cecil, Willard, Fred, Charles; Grandpa Johnson and Granddaddy Ferguson; my brother Dwight; my sons-in-law Mandrae and Zak; Clare; my boss, Ken; Max; Greg; Sam; and of course, my own Dad. In each of these men, I have seen the love they have for their children lived out in such different ways. In some of them, I have seen the hurt they have felt for their children, the silent cry on their face that they try to hide. I have witnessed their struggle to be the provider, the comforter, the healer, their child’s savior from a world intent on doing harm. I have been a witness to the pride they expressed for their family. It is a gift to watch and observe how these men in my life have taken their title seriously, and I am grateful to be reminded and to have such beautiful memories.

Thank you, Dad, for being the best example of my heavenly Father. Christ-likeness in human form.