I’m thankful that the founders of my country were wise enough to overcome their differences and set aside their personal beliefs to create a document as brilliant as the United States Constitution, which established a nation that embraces all of those differences — whether they’re differences in politics or religion, background or lifestyle, or anything else — and attempts to reach above them. I hope it keeps reaching.
I’m thankful to all the men and women who have risked and lost their lives to maintain and protect what those founders created.
I am thankful to all the scientists and researchers who devote their lives to improving ours by making us healthier and safer.
I am thankful to all the writers who have filled my life with drama and comedy, suspense and scares, information and wisdom, fantasy and humanity, and who have allowed me to have experiences and live lives that would have been impossible without them.
I am thankful to all the readers who've been kind enough to let me know they've enjoyed my work. They have no idea how much that means to me.
I am thankful to my wonderful wife Dawn for sharing her life with me for twenty-four years and for putting up with all my difficulties (writers and other creative types tend to have quite a collection of those).
And we are both thankful for our friends. Things have been tough for the last couple of years, and it’s during tough times that you find out who your friends are. Ours helped us through those times, and I hope to be able to do the same for them someday. They know who they are.
Happy Thanksgiving.
I'm incredibly thankful for being able to survive my week from hell. Which began last Wednesday, November 14th. My youngest daughter Autumn Myst's 12th birthday, which was kept from becoming our typical fun day of plenty of gifts for her & cake & ice cream following her favorite meal, because early that morning, my wife took a nasty fall & broke her back.
ReplyDeleteA crap situation for sure, but not too damned awful thankfully because even though she suffered several fractured vertebrae her spinal cord was undamaged & she actually got to come home that night.
Her & I are currently separated, but I still love her very much & have spent all but one day at her & Autumn's apartment taking care of them.
On that one day that I wasn't there however, I went home to my place for a few hours to recharge my batteries while my step-daughter Jessica stayed with her mom & sister for the day.
Unfortunately, that day, this past Sunday the 18th, while Jessica was in the basement doing some laundry for them, Autumn went outdoors to play with her neighborhood friends. During which, she was abducted by a stranger & assaulted in his van.
She was missing for over two hours as this individual in his 20s kept her against her will. During which time my world came to a screeching halt. As did my wife's.
It was, without a doubt, the most harrowing, tortuous period of time in my life. With the closest things to it being the murder of my four year old nephew by his father back in 1980 & the death of my mother from lung cancer in '99. Both horrific event for sure, incidents that left major mental & emotional scars on me that are indelible. But which, were both relegated to much lesser status compared to the distinct possibility of losing my beloved youngest child.
Had she not been returned around the block from us by the individual that took her, I'm quite positive that I wouldn't be here tonight to compose this message about what I'm thankful for.
The police were VERY helpful during the portion of time that she was missing & have remained so throughout the aftermath. They had the individual that did this in custody within minutes of his dropping Autumn off.
And, as horrified as I am about what he did to my little, baby girl, I've been SO damned grateful about her safe return that I actually haven't had a moment yet of the rage at this person that I'm sure will eventually come.
Much of it is shock & some denial too I'm sure. But, there's also a mind boggling sense of gratitude as well. A thankfulness toward him
for the safe return of my daughter. As hellish as it is for me to feel this way & to try to deal with such baffling, contradictory feelings toward Autumn Myst's kidnapper, the fact is that he had it within his power to take her away from us forever, to torture, maim and/or kill her. And he didn't. From what we know of the incident, other than the liberties that he took with our child, he actually treated her well. And, at risk to himself & in the action that led to his immediate arrest, he returned her to us.
So, while my wife & I are absolutely devastated by this incident & none of us will ever be the same again as a result of it, Vicki & I are experiencing odd moments of euphoria because, unlike so, SO many other thousands of parents who experience similar terrors to us, who tragically never see their babies alive again, WE got our baby back. Somehow, someway, we were/are incredibly fortunate.
And THAT'S what this & EVERY subsequent Thanksgiving will be about for us & our family.
Jim Allcorn
Mr. Allcorn---Sorry for misspelling your name in my prior comment!
DeleteI'm so sorry you and your family, and especially your daughter, had to go through that, Jim. What a horrifying experience. I'm so glad you have her back.
ReplyDeleteMr. Alcorn, my heart goes out to you and your family. The insightful and frank way you have expressed your reactions in the immediate aftermath of these sharp blows are evidence that you will be able to help your daughter come through this with much less damage than she might otherwise suffer. She'll take important cues about how to interpret what happened to her from you and her mother. To honestly acknowledge the harm that was done to her while stressing that she bears not a scrap of blame for it will reassure her of your love and support. It can help her realize that, while the harm was real and severe, she can get through it and recover and still live the good and happy life she envisioned before this happened. As awful as this is, what you've written here reveals an understanding and a love that can help your daughter overcome fears that she has been permanently damaged and to reject any such thought. I'm so sorry this happened and, as you say, glad that it was not worse---the horrible and more permanent blow that it could have been. I'll have good thoughts for the recovery of your wife and daughter and that the strength and perspective you show here will help all of you get through this as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Ray.
ReplyDeleteMy wife & I truly appreciate your thoughts & well wishes.
I do want to apologize however for pretty much killing all the replies you likely would have gotten to your post though. But, it was the first opportunity that I had to write anything about what had happened & I saw this place as a safe place to put it down.
And yeah, it definitely helped.
Thanks again.
Jim
Steven,
ReplyDeleteThanks so very much for your kind thoughts. Like Ray's, they are SO very much appreciated.
While we've heard from a seemingly endless array of people that we'll "be in their prayers" over the past several days, I could see & sense that to the vast majority of them, we'll be but an afterthought. But, the comments from yourself & Ray have meant much more to us, because of the time & effort that you took to respond here.
Peace.
Jim