Dan Turns 69 Today!

Each morning I write a page of gratitudes in my journal.  Most of the time my gratitudes are just a list; sometimes I add a little meat of explanation.  I keep it simple, shoot for five.

For my 69^th Birthday Blog, I have a list of a few of my gratitudes of 2016 that keep coming up again and again.   They are no specific order, except the first.

Hannah!  It all starts with the decision we made to make a life together back in 1972.  You know her as sweet and thoughtful and fun. True, true, and true.  She is as genuine as she seems.

Owen (4.5) and Max (2.5)

Our grandsons Owen and Max bring such joy and life to our lives.  Our five kids, Molly and Tip, Robyn, and Will and Laurel are special, as are yours.

Traveling and its surprises – In the past year, Hannah and I have climbed Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park , walked the bluffs of the California Coast, hiked in Mount Rainier National Park, and this fall traveled to Georgia where we found a community of pickleballers.

Good health to stay as active as I can be for as long as I can – at the local gym, on the trails, and on the pickleball courts.

Ice packs for “after being active”

Old friends from a million years ago

New friends from around the corner and the country

Living in a small town on the coast of Maine.

The wherewithall to travel and share it

Half-priced nachos and margaritas at Ruby’s with friends

Chelmsford Tuesdays with Owen and Max afternoons and Molly and Tip evenings

Ping pong George with me at the Jimmy Fund Walk

Ping pong Thursdays with George Derby

Greater faith and trust.

Drafting, editing, revising, and posting my blog on Saturdays (344 blogs and counting).

Pickleball three times per week – it provides me with the gift of both sport and camaraderie.

Evening wine with Hannah on our deck in warm weather and in front of the fire in cold.

And there it is.

I’m one fortunate dude.