What I'm Thankful For

What I always loved about Thanksgiving is that it was the family-oriented holiday that didn't come with any pre-conceived material expectation; you were just hanging out with family for the sake of family. The festive epicenter for Thanksgiving (and Christmas) was always at my grandparents house in Falls Church so we would drive out to their home early as hell that Thursday morning to watch the Macy's Day parade on TV with my grandfather while my parents and grandmother whipped the big meal together; we always did the holiday meals as a lunch.

This was also one those meals that was straight up Anglo-cuisine; not a chopstick or grain of rice in sight. And what a spread it was, every year was like the greatest hits. The usual suspects were there to great effect, of course: The turkey usually roasted (Let's not talk about that time I tried to fry one...), mashed potatoes usually with a sweet potato thrown in to give an appropriately sweeter taste and light orange hue, cranberry sauce and stuffing almost always from a can of Ocean Spray and box of Stouffer's because not everything was made from scratch.

But there were other things going on too: A green bean casserole that was honestly the best thing my grandmother could ever make. A zucchini casserole that came in a close second; I ended up getting my grandmother's old casserole dishes when it was all said and done. Sweet potato pie that probably should've been relegated to the dessert portion of the meal and was always a bit too thick and dry but we always ate it without complaint anyway. And Jell-O on the side because my grandmother really loved Jell-O for some fucking reason.

And this wouldn't be a Stone celebration if there wasn't some dessert involved. There is a sweet tooth that runs deep through the Stone family line, an appreciation/affliction that I share and it never comes to play more prominently than during the holidays. The standout really was pies, my family is hopelessly infatuated with baked goods and every Thanksgiving there would be a spread of pies with the standard Dutch apple, pumpkin, and pecan and sometimes there would be a rotating fourth option usually a cherry or lemon meringue but sometimes something off-season like a key lime or strawberry rhubarb. We would usually take a breather after the main meal because dessert is one of those things we never really skimped out on. Food comas would then immediately ensue.

These are all things from my past that I'm incredibly thankful for especially as the years have gone on and memories of breaking bread with family has become just that: memories. But, you know, there's a lot of things happening in the here and now that I'm thankful for too.

I'm thankful for my family being there in whatever form it takes as we weather the entropic storm together. I'm thankful for my friends, the family that I have chosen rather than being born into for inspiring me to do the things I do and just be really great company. I think one of the more unique elements of my life is this tendency to keep friends around for years upon years; in some cases, decades upon decades. I think the big thing there is that you recognize pretty early and firmly that people always grow at different speeds and in different directions; the expectation that your friends stay ossified or grow at the same pace and direction as you is completely self-centered so you just adapt accordingly, that's how friendships and relationships survive and thrive; if there's anything in this world I'm good at, it's adaptation, the ability to roll with change as you grow together but separately while maintaining the core essence of those relationships. At the same time, having those longtime friends means a wealth of shared experience and extensive backstories that really become richer as time marches on so I'm incredibly thankful for all of that.

I'm thankful for my job as an admin faculty here in Virginia helping college kids find their own way; most of them really are among the brightest, smartest people I've ever met. And when you're young, you're not afraid of the future, you're looking forward to it. They help me remember that and that the future generation is ready for their shot.

I'm thankful for the show and the work with Image Comics that I do. Falling into the comics industry honestly came about entirely as an accident (A very happy accident, mind you); it was never something that planned at all but I'm very grateful that it did. There's still days where I pinch myself over everything that's happened and happening there and there are some episodes and magazine features coming that are a complete fucking doozy. I'm already planning shows for next year! And Jake, Chris, and I have some tricks up our sleeves with the show. It was never originally planned to be comic press, we're a very musical trio, and what you're going to see next is a shift in that direction while maintaining the comics press that got us a decent listenership in the first place. So I'm thankful for them and thankful for what's coming.

And, of course, dear reader, I'm thankful for you.

Catch you in a week if you'll still have me.