My Deepest Thanks to All of You

I know today is the obligatory day here in the USSA for giving thanks; and while I am commemorating it in offering mine, I want it to be clear that my gratitude runs deeper and wider than simple holiday offerings.

So many of you have brought so much to my life that it is impossible to try to compile any sort of list. And with some (who may no longer be visitors here), while it is true that I didn’t see the contribution as a gift at the time, I am beginning to understand that those who have challenged me the most have given some of the most valuable gifts. To each of you, sincere thanks—for your presence, for choosing to share some of your energy here, for contributing your thoughts to the conversation.

My silence of late has been partly driven by busyness—our ballerina has been practicing hard for her first roles on stage, and the curtain will be going up in just eight days—but even more so by concerns that the direction I am going in my life are likely not of interest to many of you; or they may not seem relevant to our quest for freedom. This morning, a small epiphany showed me how they are; it also revealed that my fears of negative judgment and rejection have stifled my sharing of ideas here. It could very well be true that what’s to come may alienate some, but I will not let my fear stop me from sharing. Special thanks to those of you who have been so inspirational in this area.

Internet communications and relationships are tricky things for us all; and I have a fairly public legacy that might be considered more brambly in these areas than many others’. Be that as it may, I try to keep in mind that whatever I write—here and elsewhere—my intention is to connect with a genuine person or persons. It may be carried out only or primarily via flying electrons, but that relationship is real (albeit in a different way than in–person relationships). I am sorry for my missteps and misunderstandings; and I am thankful for all the lessons learned, as well as those still in progress.

I may not think of these things all the time—and I certainly don’t express them as frequently as I feel them!—but it is accurate to say that I regularly feel a deep gratitude to many people around the world. My best to you, on this day and all others.