Today is the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. As we have done every year for the past 21 years, Spouse and I are hosting our annual “No Senior is Alone Thanksgiving Feastival.” This is the only time each year that we host guests. Otherwise, except for my family, we do not entertain visitors.

Posts linked below describe what this event is, so I will not repeat. What I wanted to do in this post is to express my own grateful feelings for…

…people and things that bring quality and joy to my life.

1. Spouse: without him, I would not survive. Period. He is my everything. His love, support, and honor are tremendous and grow each day of every year.

2. Community: I have a real sense of community right here in the sprawling suburbs of our nation’s capital. I have lived here my entire life. I am, let’s say, “well integrated” into the fabric that makes our community a thriving, vibrant place to live and continue to build our lives.

3. Family: I hail from a large, raucous, and loving family. Especially my twin brother, but all 14 of my siblings are truly special. Add to that my nieces, nephews, and “the greats,” I think they’re all great and I am truly grateful for their love, support, and care.

4. Friends: I do not want to offend any of my large circle by naming individuals lest I leave someone out. There are friends I have known for life and who I still see from time to time. Friends I have made in my adult life through activities I have done (and still do). Friends of fellow bikers, especially one whose patience in riding bucket list adventures is steady, kind, and gentle. Friends I have gotten to know through this blog and my website, especially those with whom I have regular dialogue through comments and email. I cherish them all because life without friends is vacant. I live a full life because of them. Thank you, friends!

5. Legacy: I am grateful for the legacy my parents left to me. They did not leave a cash inheritance, but they did leave something even more valuable — the lessons of how to be self-sustaining by planning and saving for the future, including retirement, from a young age. I am grateful for the foundation they laid for me, because now at three years shy of “medicare age,” or 4.5 years shy of “full retirement age” — I can retire anyway, comfortably and maintain my life without skipping a beat.

6. Changes to laws: As a man married to another man, I have to state my gratefulness for changes to laws that made it possible for me to marry the man I love in the state and county of my birth, and for him to be able to extend his post-retirement healthcare benefits to me as his lawful Spouse. When both of those things happened in 2013, we were awestruck. Whoda thunk? But I can retire now because of these changes to laws made it possible so I do not have to “work for health insurance.”

Well, doorbell just rang… family helpers are here for last-minute preps. Guests arrive soon.

Life is short: be grateful for the bounty of Spouse, community, family, friends, and legacy. I sure am! Happy Thanksgiving!