I won’t tell you my co-workers names.  I could, it probably wouldn’t matter, but in this case I’ll use their Winnie the Pooh names.  I’m thankful for them because they’re my comrades, we’ve been through the thick and thin and kept moving forward. I’m going to refer to all of them by their 100 Acre Wood genders to keep them anonymous(-ish).

I’m thankful for Eeyore.  He’s a great, patient, plodding along character, even if he does have a rain cloud above him.  He’s insightful, he’s dedicated, and he’s patient.

I’m thankful for Rabbit.  Rabbit is studious, but he sure hates  it when you mess with his stuff.  He’s got a plan and you’re ruining it.  But in the end he contributes a whole heap of goodness.

I’m thankful for piglet.  Piglet plods along, unsure of himself, but definitely making progress.  Piglet is definitely a loyal friend.

I’m also thankful for Roo.  Roo is definitely fun.  I like fun.

I’m probably Tigger.  I could be wrong about that, but I tend to get super excited and want everyone to do what I’m doing.  Let’s all go bouncing!  Let’s play this game!  Let’s use this project management system!

Christopher Robin is actually a combination of people at the office, but that’s good.  I’ve found there are very few real one-person Christopher Robins.

I’m thankful for the full cast and crew.  I even pray for them, whether they like it or not.  Because that’s what Tiggers apparently do.

When I was a little boy my dad was building a house.  One of the people he had hired to help with the house had a side business as a magician.  He and his wife did a magic show for my birthday when I was little.  I remember the wonder.  I remember trying so hard to figure out the tricks.  It wasn’t that I was a skeptic it was that I knew Henry couldn’t be magical because he helped build houses.  Houses were like magic tricks then.  If you could build a house you could build a magic trick, and if you could build a magic trick you could figure out the blue prints of the magic trick.

I remember even at that early age watching for things that were fast.  Slight of hand that required me to blink or miss something.  I didn’t see much that was a give away then, and I remember him not telling me when I begged for him to explain how the tricks worked.

Years later I got a magic trick set and a juggling set for Christmas.  Marked card, plastic cups with a hidden chamber and foam balls were in the set.  Also included were a rubber false thumb and “silk” handkerchief as well as a yellow rope/cord and a large metal ring.  I quickly learned the trick where the rope would be tide to the ring and then be pulled off magically despite having been tied on twice.  I had the blueprints.  I didn’t have to figure out the tricks, I had to figure out the presentation of the tricks.  I distinctly remember trying to impress my uncle Jim with some of the tricks that Christmas.  He tried to feign enthusiasm, but eventually when I asked him, “Did you see how I did it?”  He squirmed a bit and explained to me the tricks.

Magic tricks are rarely about the magic.  They’re about the story.  They’re about the strain and failure of the audience.  You try to see how it’s done, but the failure to figure it out makes it more engaging.  They’re like jokes: the non sequitur is really what makes the joke work.  It isn’t the logical flow but the illogical flow that actually makes the joke funny.  Your mind searches for the connection because you know the obvious connection isn’t right.

I’m thankful that my parents hired the Professor.  I’m grateful that I had the chance to be surprised, wowed and educated at such a young age.  I’m often please with the number of   things I do remember.  I subscribe to a ‘magic’ podcast to continue to learn tricks, scams and magic.  I love being wrong, it  keeps me wondering.

In what is going to be a multi-part series I’m thankful for my wife.  When we first met it was at youth group.  We were both pretty certain the other one was a dork.  Some months later we met again and the experience was different.  I didn’t have my drivers license so Jessica, who was younger, picked me up with our mutual friend Glorie and they drove me to youth group.  Some time later I was in a band with some friends – we were called Wick – and Jessica and Glorie were our groupies.  As I understand it they had it for our bass player, but after he broke up with Jessica I moved in to try to become her beau.

Jessica was smart, pretty, she laughed at my jokes (which I am sure were even more corny than they are now) and most importantly she loved the Lord.  Her younger brother and my brother spent a little time together but despite that they grew apart and Jessica and I grew together.

My dad had always told me that if I kissed a girl I should do so with commitment so as to not rip my heart out a hundred times.  So when Jessica and I kissed I knew I had a serious commitment to make.  I had to be committed to her more than just a little bit.  Not just boyfriend and girlfriend for 2 weeks.

I wasn’t ready to marry her that night [we were way under-age] and it took me a while to get up the nerve and plan to ask once we were of age, but I’m grateful for her maintaining those same qualities all these years.  I tell my girls that we’re raising them up to be like their mom**.  I hope they know how cool I think that is as a goal.

** they need to have their own personalities and not be just cookie cutter kids – but she’s a great gal and worth trying to emulate in many ways.

I’ve been neck deep in code for the last month.  I started out with intentions of writing a thankful post every day (or close there to), but after a few weeks of not posting anything I hope you’ll understand that right now I should be coding to get a project shipping.  I am going to try to get up earlier since staying up later leads to more work, but I do want to post here.  It’s been a great outlet since 2001 or something like that.

I’m thankful that folks don’t complain to me about not posting here 🙂

I haven’t dropped off this after only one week, it’s just been a VERY busy week.  I’ll try to spool up some more time ASAP.

Thanks for reading.

Friday’s thankfulness comes in the form of a friend who was one a student.  When Jessica and I move to Texas to pursue seminary we came into contact with various folks at the seminary church (as told by yesterday’s post) and one of them was Vincent.  He was in Jr. High when I first met him and when we left the seminary he was in High School.  He, however, continued to call and email and stay in touch.  Vincent has been a loyal friend for over a decade now.  If you’re doing the math on that you’ve figured out that he’s an adult now.

Vincent has gotten up extra early to meet me for breakfast, stayed up extra late to chat and play video games as well as being up extra normal hours to go to work.  I think I can say with confidence that I have spent more time on the phone with Vincent than any other adult in my life besides Jessica.  And she only wins because she’s my wife.  Vincent and I have talked a LOT.  I think I may have diarrhea of the mouth sometimes, though, so it could just be me 😉

Vincent’s has a sixth sense for phone tag – he calls when I’m in the middle of something that wasn’t in my schedule like he’s a comic book ‘timing’ super-hero.  He always lets me call him back, though.  Word to his mother (Ice, ice, baby).