Giving Thanks

For a sunrise on the cove.

For my beautiful daughter who inspires me every day to be a better person and make a better world.

For my patient wife who supports my work, puts up with bags of garbage in the livingroom, bathtub, bedroom, basement.

For my mom & dad who have always loved me unconditionally -- and been proud of me even during those times when I haven't felt terribly proud of myself.

For friends old & new, real-life and Web-only, a constant stream of inspiration, joy, and hope.

For my heroes -- John Muir, Robert Frost, and JRR Tolkien -- who have shaped my world and my thought.

For all of those glimpses of Eden, as Tolkien once wrote to his son, that put the "Why?" into perspective.

For every small victory, and every heartbreaking setback. Memories and lessons for a lifetime.

For every grain of sand tumbling through my fingers, every blade of dunegrass waving on a seabreeze, every golden leaf falling in a sun-kissed woodland, every smile.

And lastly, for all the adventures yet to come.

Tynedale, Northumberland, UK

"Still round the corner there may wait /A new road or a secret gate,
And though we pass them by today, / Tomorrow we may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run / Towards the Moon or to the Sun."

-- JRR Tolkien

Happy Thanksgiving!