Here in the US, this Thursday is celebrated as Thanksgiving – a day set aside to be thankful for the many blessings we’ve received in the last year.

The last few years have been incredible at work, in my family, and at home, so I wanted to share with you a few of the reasons I’m thankful.

About a year ago now, my wife and I were blessed by becoming first-time grandparents, of a healthy and bright granddaughter. She and her parents have added immeasurably to our lives.

I’m also thankful for our other daughter – who we’ve gotten closer to over the last year, and we expect to be even closer to her as she stays with us a while while relocating to her new job.

I’m thankful also for my wife. Those of you who know me know that I’m in awe of who she is and what she does. But what I don’t say quite as often is how blessed I’ve been to had her in my life for 40+ years.

I’ve also been blessed by our church family. People who love you, pray for you – and love you enough to tell you the unvarnished truth when that’s what’s needed. We’ve hosted a men’s Bible study at our house for the last year or so, and getting to know these men has been a treat. Of course, a key part of this is my thankfulness for my salvation through Jesus Christ.

I’m also thankful for the opportunity I’ve had in Assimilation Systems. I’ve learned more than I can say, and it’s been incredible fun. We’ve put out several releases this year, and moved source control and build systems I’ve spoken at 16 events in the last year, and have met hundreds of people. I’ve also been humbled to have been invited to give keynote talks at three conferences. I also ran a session at a hackathon in Germany. I’d never done keynotes or hackathons before – and both were fun opportunities.

One of my greatest blessings this year has been the opportunity to help and encourage others. A few times I was able to give references that helped people get jobs, and lots of times where I had the chance to encourage people. Sometimes these were family, friends, or people I knew and sometimes they were people I met while traveling – clerks, gate agents, or fellow travelers.

Regardless of your situation, or your beliefs – each of us has reason to be thankful – and I hope that you’ll take a few minutes to remember a few of your reasons to be thankful for the blessings you’ve received.