Be Thankful!

I know when it comes to political topics I can complain and criticize with the best of them. I've aired my pet peeves about cigars in reviews, and sometimes I can just be full of negativity. But today, I would like to leave that all at the roadside and, in the spirit of tomorrow's holiday, just list a few things that I am thankful for...

1. Where I live. If God has created a more beautiful place than Appalachia, I don't know where it is. From here in the Tennessee River Valley to the Cumberland Plateau to Lookout Mountain to the Smoky Mountains, everywhere I look there is beauty. To quote Rich Mullins: "Everywhere I go I see You." The Hand of God is everywhere, but it is more evident here than anywhere else I've been.
2. My Family. I'm glad that my wife not only agreed to move with me to Tennessee, but actually wanted to move just about as much as I did. We have the opportunity to be close to my parents now and we've worked hard at recruiting her parents and other family members to move close to us here, too...and there seems to be some measure of success. We'll see how that goes. After years, though, of not wanting to live "that close" to my parents, I've matured enough to want to be here.
3. My Friends. Whether it's the friends I've made here in TN or the ones I had to leave in California, I treasure the friendships I have been a part of. Great times gathered in homes, in churches, or in cigar stores.
   
4. My Church. While we don't attend church as often as some of the folks back here do (there was a time when church-goers here would be in church practically every day...now it's just 3 or 4 times per week), we do appreciate the sense of community, acceptance and love we have from our church.
5. Cigars. I've said it before, I'll say it again...God does not make mistakes! God created the tobacco plant and all the different varieties of it. I don't believe God created them to look at, and I'm rather doubtful that cigarettes were what he had in mind. I do believe that unlocking the keys to tobacco's legitimate use is involved in the all-natural process of moving leaf from field to barn, drying, fermenting, aging, rolling, and smoking. Done in moderation, this provides a relaxing and enjoyable pastime that may not be for everyone, but is certainly not as unhealthy as some would have you believe.

Tomorrow, if all goes as planned, I will be lighting up a CAO LX2 Salamon after Thanksgiving dinner...and I will be thankful.