Dear 2010,
Thank you for a good year. Â I am glad that Jupiter didn’t turn into a sun this year despite what science fiction movies told me.
I am thankful for students who help make learning and teaching fun; for friends and church members who laugh and cry with me; for having a job in a recession; for not having to worry about paying bills; for Snow Days!; for Simply Thai; for Buffalo Wild Wings; for La Rosita’s; for Actor’s Theatre; for picking out colors to paint the babyroom; for babymoons in Indiana; for friends who donate couches; for a school administration who supports my attempts to bring drama back to our high school; for students who have fun on stage; for actors who show up to rehearsals; for students who can make me laugh when I’m having a rough week; for professors who inspire me to be a better teacher; for summers off (kinda); for that Starbucks in Athens, AL (for those times when you need a little jolt halfway through the trip to Pensacola or back); for parents who decide at the last minute to come visit during their spring break; for family members who try to plan events so that we can all see each other; for my Gran-Gran; for Rebecca’s Granny; for LOST and Community and Hell’s Kitchen; for Hulu and Netflix; for Ridgemont Reserve; for John Steinbeck; for being able to say “it’s a boy” while handing a friend a cigar; for a very loving and understanding pregnant wife during the hottest summer on record with no AC for 3 months; for being able to take my wife to her first prom; for things that inspire my wife to write music; for Ben Folds; for Antwone Dodson; for jack-o-lanterns and passing out candy on Halloween; for friends who I didn’t see all year but who still keep in touch; for watching my wife carry and deliver my son like a pro; for my son – his laughs, his cries, his facial expressions; for discovering that I could love anything as much as I love him; for Dr. Brown bottles; for Soothieâ„¢ pacifiers; for Evenflo carseats and strollers; for Bumbo; for Shutterfly Photobooks; for baby Tylenol; for people who freely give new and used baby stuff; for Grandmas and Greatgrandmas who knit and crochet baby blankets; for the best Christmas in recent memory; for being twenty-something; for grace from God, my wife, my family and friends when I mess up; for friends; for family; for dogs; for my beautiful, thoughtful and talented wife who is always there for me.