Thankful for Friends...

With the plethora of Christmas cards arriving over the past few days, and a great lunch I had today with Gene and our friend Haynes, I want to mention how thankful I am for my friends. They have been a rock for me in so many wonderful ways, especially over the last couple years.

Some people have unfortunately become distant, by the memory or aftereffect of my bad acts, and others have simply fallen off the face of the earth, for reasons one can only imagine, but the people who have stuck around have blessed me with their words, their truth and understanding as I have been through so much.

As I received feedback on my eclipse pictures, I was reminded too how the community of old friends built over the past three years -- some from years ago in Banner Elk Elementary, to those new folks I've met through work and travels in the last few months -- has been a firm foundation for many positive things in my own life. While some forums (forii?) have been seen as distracting, or negative, or narcissistic, I have been glad to all that I've gained from positive, honest relationships built, nurtured or mutually enriched.

So thanks for my friends -- always a part of my prayers every night.