I am thankful for all that God has given me.

I have a family (boy, do I have a family! LOL) that's only going to get bigger (my wife's due to deliver twins next month), I have my health (such as it is), and I have my faith in God.

I have a beautiful home that's bursting at the seams, I have a job that I enjoy (most of the time), I have money to pay any bills that come along, sometimes a struggle, but they manage to get paid off.

I don't have any children in the war zones of our world; I don't have to worry about fearing for our very lives. I don't have to worry about being kidnapped off the streets or worry about saying the wrong thing without running the risk of being killed.

No, America isn't perfect by a long shot (we face some problems of our own--immigration, corrupt government, inflation, ever rising gas and food prices, crime, etc.), yet we are free.  I wouldn't live anywhere else but here; I was born here; therefore I am an American--and a proud one.

I am thankful for my beautiful wife, who's been with me at my side through bad times and good; she's been ever faithful and knows what to do to make me happy. I am indeed blessed in having Louie in my life; I love her more with each passing day, each passing year. Now she's going to give me twin boys, and I can't wait until they are here!

It's getting down to the wire, folks! :) It won't be long before our family grows by two!

I am thankful for the children that God has blessed us with: children who were once seemingly without  hope, facing bleak futures; yet through the Miracle of international adoption, we became a family: a large family, mind you, but a family that can never be severed or broken!

I am thankful for my circle of friends. They rejoice with me when things go well, cry with me when we go through the valley of death, uncertainty.

They send me letters of encouragement, tell me that they are lifting me up in prayer, which always helps during the darker times of our lives. I don't know what I would do without any of my friends!

I am thankful that I live here in Tennessee. We live in a pretty area of the country, and Nashville is a great place to live/raise a family. There's so much to do, see here, and the kids are never bored (most of the time, that is! LOL).

We have some wonderful schools/medical facilities here, so if any of the kids get sick, we can be counted on to get the expert help we need (plus my wife is a nurse; that really helps).

I am thankful that we have food in our bellies and that we can either eat here at home or go out to eat on Thanksgiving or Christmas.

This year we are going out; we're going to Golden Corral for Thanksgiving. We did this last year (we also did it on Christmas Day), and it is nice to have someone else do the cooking for a change and not worry about the mountains of dishes afterwards.

I am thankful that all our children will be coming home for the holidays. The ones in college (as well as Lightning, Melizza, and Dianna) are coming to spend Thanksgiving with us; they will be here by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

Of course, the house will be packed, but we don't care: all of the children will be together, and we will be sharing in the bounty of God's blessings upon our lives.

Yes, indeed, I have a lot to be thankful for. God has been awfully good to me--not to mention, my family. We have had a wonderful year, a year full of joy, sadness, even some heartbreak, yet God has brought us through; we are made stronger, better, closer; we are better people in the long run.

I hope that God blesses each one of you as much as He has blessed me. May each and every one of you have a very happy, blessed Thanksgiving Day! And may the approaching Christmas season bring you peace, goodwill, and, above all, joy!

May you reflect on the true reason why we celebrate Christmas: the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!

~Bill Sandusky. :)