BEING THANKFUL

Here's list of things I'm thankful for:

* My amazing wife Wendy. She is everything I could have ever hoped for or dreamed of in a wife. I am constantly amazed by her and in awe of her daily.

* My sons Dylan (almost 13) and David (almost 11). They're both such great sources of joy for me. I'm honored and humbled to be their Dad.

* Our house church family at The Mission - These people are gold. I could go on and on about how each person and each family blesses me and inspires me and encourages me. When Wendy and I stepped out 3 years ago to do this crazy house church thing we had no idea who, if anyone, would join us. God has brought us some of the most amazing people and I am very thankful for each of them.

* Coffee - Two cups every morning before human interaction. Two scoops of vanilla ice cream per cup to sweeten, cool and add cream. Thank you God for coffee.

* Music - Where would we be without it? The power of music to heal, to inspire, and to communicate emotion is so amazing. Thank you God for music.

* Art - Sometimes I crave some time alone to just sit and soak in great art. I'll never be a visual artist of any merit, but even the attempt at creating art is cathartic for me. I wish I had more time to focus on it.

* Hulu.com - Without this website I couldn't watch The Daily Show with John Stewart, or those episodes of "Fringe" or "Heroes" I missed. Sweet, sweet Hulu.com, how I love thee.

* My job - Looking at the economy makes me very thankful that I even have a job at all these days. Of course, after being out of work for over a year before this job I am very grateful to work as a writer for a great company in a creative capacity. Thank you Jesus!

* Seeqpod.com - Thanks to this free music streaming site I can build my own playlists, discover new music and share it with my friends. Seeqpod helped me find great new artists like Ray LaMontagne, Anne Nalick, The Fray, Secret Machines, and Flight of the Condor. Plus I've built great playlists like "Gr80's", "Spy Film Music", "Rage Against the @#$% Machine", "Nirvana/Foo Fighters", and every song by David Gray and Snow Patrol. Man, I love me some Seeqpod.

*Movies - This year I've been impacted by "Into the Wild", "What Would Jesus Buy?", "Under The Same Moon", "The Dark Knight", "Wall-E", "Quantum of Solace", and "Taare Zameen Par (Every Child Is Special)". Love my Netflix and the local dollar theater. Can't wait to see "Synecdoche, New York", "The Soloist", and the new JJ Abrahms "Star Trek" re-launch next year.

*Asian Food - I could seriously eat chinese food every meal, every day for the rest of my life and be happy. Especially love Thai, Mongolian BBQ, and Chinese. Not Japanese (hate Sushi) and not Vietnamese (at least not yet). I have had some amazing authentic Korean food locally thanks to a friend who speaks the lingo and knows where to go. Love me some Asian food. Mmmm….maybe we could do Chow Mein and Orange Chicken for Thanksgiving this year?

*Facebook - Never liked MySpace but this new Facebook thing is awesome. My actual friends from my actual life are on there and we correspond in various ways every single day. I get to see when they upload new photos, I get to let them know what I'm doing and see what they're doing. It's a slice of online heaven. I've actually started to make a long list of "Keith is…" statements to make sure I always have a great one to write each day. My faves so far are: "Keith is pinching a loaf", "Keith always gives 110% because he's not very good at math", "Keith is projectile vomiting", "Keith made you look!", "Keith is a south pole elf", "Keith would like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony". I can't wait to unleash the rest of my list! Oh, please send me more flair.

*My Parents - They constantly amaze me, really. I can't put into words just how thankful I am for Godly parents and for their unending generosity and love for me. They're awesome people and I am very grateful for them both.

*In-N-Out Cheeseburgers - For those of you who don't live in Southern California, who will never know the exquisite joy of eating a Double-Double cheeseburger and extra-crispy fries, I weep for you…or maybe it's just the awesome taste of burger perfection? I don't want to know. Pass the ketchup, please.

*Philip K. Dick - One of the most consistently insane and brilliant writers who ever lived. You owe it to yourself to read "Ubik", "Flow My Tears the Policeman Said", "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" and "The Man Who Japed". His short story collections are awesome too. Our local library has actual signed copies of his hardcovers on the shelf. I confess I've wondered how much the fee would be if I checked them all out and "lost them". He's a genius.

*Charlie Kauffman - Can't say enough about "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" or "Adaptation" for sheer creative and emotional brilliance. Can't wait to watch "Synecdoche, NY" soon.

These are just some of the many things I'm thankful for. What are you thankful for?

-kg