My Holiday Thanks You's

To my readers, thank you for staying loyal even when I lost faith in my own writing and the blog. Your comments and e-mails meant so much to me. Thank you for getting me back to writing here. I look forward to another year of inspiring posts and thoughtful discussion. You are the reason I write, and writing is the most important thing to me.

To my parents, thank you for supporting me...always. Even when I do stupid, misguided things, you always stand by me. Sometimes I wish you would warn me first...but I guess you love me enough to let me learn. Thanks for not treating me like a child just because I lived at home after college.

To the rest of my family, it's been a very intense year for some of us. I do feel like I've grown closer to my more distant relatives. After so long operating in the sphere of my nuclear family, it's nice to see there are others out there.

To my friends, thank you for staying in touch. We are so dispersed these days, connected only by the tenuous impulses on the internet, and I know that sometimes it feels like the relationships we created are faded. But it is amazing how much a simple e-mail or IM or Facebook note can do to reestablish old line of conversation and connection.

To my girlfriend, thank you for tolerating my eccentricities. I know there are a lot. How you put up with me with such patience and wisdom confounds me, but I'm glad for it and value it immensely.

To her family, thank you for accepting me so readily. It's been a bit of a roller-coaster for me getting used to so much love, but I've decided it's something I'd like to make a bigger part of my life.

To my mentors and teachers, thank you for your investment in me. I know I can be a demanding student, and I try to make up for it by being a diligent one. Your advice and guidance mean much, much more than you'll ever know.

Whatever you celebrate, or even if you don't, have a Happy Holidays! As my friend Cindi writes on her blog, let's try to bring the spirit of the holidays into the rest of our years.

- (**