I am thankful for Leigh aka Marco. Even though he is not with us anymore I am thankful for all the laughs we shared together. For our hours of playing Risk and just the friendship that we built. I am thankful that he could show me that not everyone was a certain way and that underneath a lot of hostility there was another side to people. I am thankful to have met him. I am thankful to have known him. I am thankful to have called him a good friend. I am thankful for every little lesson he taught me while he was here.

I am grateful for a new leash on life.  I did not imagine that I would be where I am today after finding out that I was diagnosed with Stage 4B (last stage) Uterine Cancer 7 months ago.  The prognosis was very dire and they would not even consider me for possible surgery.  I have accepted the possible fate then and have made my peace with what could possibly come.  I was just worried about the people that I was gonna leave behind as I knew they weren't all ready for what could be.

7 months later, after 18 weeks of chemo & eventually the surgery that they wouldn't initially consider, I am almost cancer free.  Still have another 4 weeks of chemo for final cleanup, but they said that they are just making sure, although they did not see any more traces...

I have a new perspective in life and don't take everything much to heart anymore.  I think my positive attitude has helped a lot and I am just grateful to God and to all my friends, family and MR.

Believe it or not, MR has helped me get through it by providing the entertainment that I enjoy and the people that I interact with!

So................................Thank you everyone!  You made a difference in my life!

I'll start with a heavy one.

I've lived in Spain, one of the most Catholic countries in the world, and I know friends who are having to tell their kids there just isn't enough money in the pot for Christmas this year. A close mate of mine hasn't been paid in 7 months and he still goes in to work every morning simply because having a job and not getting paid is still a better situation than being one of the 25% of the population who are unemployed and whom the government can't help. I've lived in Greece too; several communities there have abandoned the entire concept of state-sponsored currency and have returned to a primitive bartering system just to get by. This is how the global financial crisis has effected some first world countries not too dissimilar from ourselves; and the scary thing is that these people are still some of the most fortunate humans in the world.

Did you know that a billionpeople live on less than $1 per day, and that around 2.1 billion live on less than $2? This isn't a straight measure; as in they'd be ok because in their country a dollar would buy more than it does in the States. It's a comparative measure, meaning they have the equivalent in their economy of less than $2. Could you live on $60 a month? Food, health insurance, rent, electric, water? I couldn't, and I literally don't know how I'd survive. 925 million people around the world physically don't have enough food to eat, a billion people around the world are illiterate and a billion don't have access to safe water.

I'm not here to discuss the causes of all this (we could be here 'till 2014); just to say that I'm incredibly thankful  to live in a country where occasions like Christmas/Halloween/Thanksgiving are expected events, not unnecessary extravagances that could never happen to you.

I will say that I'm very thankful for my friends and my family. This year has been an especially hard one for us at times. I won't go too far into things or bad mouth anyone or anything that's caused the hardships we have endured. Since March when I lost my job, because a job offer got taken away from me, its been an uphill struggle to survive. Needless to say without my friends and family I would have probably threw my hands in the air and said fuck it! We have been fighting to even survive, some days food is scarce and juggling bills gets frustrating and the endless applying for jobs and get an interview and not get hired. And someone smashing out the window in the car is what really hit the low point so far.

I guess I should back up a second and explain a few things about me. I'm a huge basshead. No not a drug addict, i mean bass like car stereo bass. I had planned to compete in organised events this year prior to losing my job. I just couldn't justify spending 30+ dollars per show when I had no job, knowing we could use that money for bills or food. So I was content just having a system to listen to. Then in August someone smashed the back window out of our car. I believe they were after my system but the alarm sce ared them off thankfully. But I had to sell my system just to afford to pay for the window to get replaced. Honestly if it wasn't for my the basshead family I can say I'm associated with I would have probably went off the deep end. That was my release. Some people have guns, some video games, others drinking or drugs. That was my way to just relax and get away from the grinds of life, even if it was only for a few songs.

My friends and my wife kept me from literally losing it. It was the worst part so far of this year for me. But it took a recent friend named Ben that really put things into perspective for me. Having never met him in person or anything. Only knowing him from the basshead community we made a true friendship. He actually was prepared to find a window for my car while I was stressing how I was going to come up with the cash to replace it. He was busy in florida trying to find one for my car and figuring out how the hell he was going to ship it to me. I never asked him to do that. But he was prepared to do that without even a 2nd thought.  Thats what truly made me realize that even if I was to be homeless, no matter how bad I thought it was or could be. That I had friends there to pick me back up and dust me off and make me realize it could always be worse.

In closing of this little snippet of my life. Which I don't normally share with many people. I will say there are probably more deserving people that will share what their thankful for. And I can say I am truly fine with that if I don't win, I don't expect to. I just wanted to share that and felt the need to do so.  I do know that everyone is thankful for different things and every day life or people will amaze you if you open your eyes and look around. And just remember that at any blink of an eye, a phone call or a piece of paper can change your life and alter it to a degree your not capable of handling at the time. But there is always someone there to pick you back up and help you even if its just to listen to your problems and give an outside perspective or to listen to you vent.

I am thankful to be alive and to have my amazing family. I got ran over 5 years ago on Nov 23rd and according to the doctors and the people who seen me said i am lucky. I broke my back in four places with eight screws and two steel rods in my back, crushed my pelvis, dislocated my left elbow, broke my left shoulder, and broke all my ribs except for two. I spent three months in the hospital, was in ICU for two months of three. Took me six months to learn to walk again. Out of all that my mom and sibling where supporting me in every way possible. I also graduated high school even though my last bit i spent in a wheel chair and at home. My greatest accomplishment was walking across the stage eight months after my accident and seeing the smile on my families faces.

I am thankful for my family.. when me and my partner got together in 2007 we thought we'd probably never have children of our own naturally, my partner was told numerous times as a teen/young adult that she would find it almost impossible to have children, even with help because she has severe polycystic ovary syndrome (google if you need info :P).

So knowing this we had discussed future plans and children etc and come to the agreement that if we try and cant have children naturally then we would try adopt eventually, we we're fine with this but obviously our dream would be to have our own child. Well without even thinking about it too much and just naturally having fun as you do with a new relationship, after about a year and a half to our shock she fell pregnant.. July 23 2009 we had a baby boy.

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Everyone in our family referred to him as a miracle baby lol we had to agree knowing the circumstances and we proved the doctors wrong :P so after a few years we decide we should try again, this time a little more optimistic about our chances because of our luck before. We hadn't stopped naturally trying really anyway so we went to the doctors again as it had been around 2 years of 'trying' without protection, so once again we get told our chances are really slim and not to get our hopes up but they'll help us as much as they can, so my partner had to have a surgery which would apparantly increase chances of conception, after a couple months we we're told the surgery didn't work, we had also been given medicine to help conception which hadn't worked either.. it just caused bad side effects for my girlfriend so she was taken off the treatment.

With nothing we had tried working we were told our only other option was IVF, we knew we wouldnt be able to afford it so we had to give up, so after putting the thought of another child behind us we just got on with our lives and settled for what we had.. but about 6 months later my partner kept getting abdominal pains so she went to the doctors and to our disbelief the results came back that she was pregnant.

So now we are expecting our second little miracle who is due in January

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I guess one of the biggest things i am thankful for is my family.  The pic is me and my little sister 20 years my junior.  I often find i have more things in common with her then my own kids due to the fact i helped raise her and she was at an age closer to pay more attention especially on trips with iron maiden, linkin park and evenessence blaring over the years.  My family no matter what seem to endure through personal illness or problems because where we are a big family(i am 1 of 7) we all pull together.

If it wasn't for my mother i never would of been pushed on to my LLB Law Degree, My MBA or many of my work choices as knew was help financially and physically if the shit hit the fan.  We expect this to be my mothers last christmas this year even though only 58, but if i can pass on the amount she has passed on to me, my kids will cope well for the future.  See my mother was always the one to help with advice, push me, provide even when things weren't good in my childhood.  My mother didn't want to see us breaking our backs pulling two jobs like her and my father did to bring us up and directed us to trade schools, university, working within our community to make it a better place whether with the church, charities or people in general. 

I'm thankful for my parents, my nieces, my sister even when she talks too much, my brother even when he drinks too much, my sweetheart, unconditional love from my dog, my job even though I work weekends, Goodfellas, coffee, MafiaReturns, pizza, pajamas that are still warm from the dryer, South Park, my Dad's sense of humor, my Mom's homemade lasagna on Christmas, summer music festivals, Sons of Anarchy, IRC, The New York Yankees, Anne Rice, jynx, Mob Week on AMC, margaritas at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Amazon, my phone, hot chocolate, gossip so ridiculous its funny, Breaking Bad, Cory_Chase, Netflix, Durden texts, The Green Bay Packers, IzzyCreamcheese, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, Skype, fantasy football, YouTube, EA, cigarettes, old people and kids who tell great stories, RookieA, my new laptop, snow, WhatsApp, Remy, White Russians, Fydora, Google, Jeff Gordon, bonus features on DVDs, breakfast at McDonalds, my Carolina Panthers hoodie, BackToShootPeeps, IMDB and SpikeSpiegel :P

I'm very thankful to my parents who let me study my preferred college. I know that we were having a hard time in our business and other stuffs. We have a lot of loans during the time of my enrollment. Even though through all our trials and difficulties we had, they still let me go there even though I can study to another college which is relatively much more cheaper than my preferred college. I like to thank my older sister who is always there to support me. Even though sometimes we fight, she still helped in so many ways. I'm thankful to my lil sis who is very cute. I'm thankful for someone who is there to cheer me up. That person always makes my day. Even though sometimes that person ruins my day, I'm thankful that that person is part of my life.

I'm thankful to my relatives who is also there to support me. I'm thankful to my friends who is there in times of happiness and troubles. I'm thankful to everyone who is part of my life.

I'm also thankful to people who guided me in here in MR. You know who you are. I just started this year yet you helped me a lot.

I am very thankful to God who always helped and guided me. He gives me strength to carry on and continue living my life. 

I am thankful to bacon, for it has the ability the brighten even the saddest of your days ! I could list its qualities, among which its tastiness, its cheap price, the fact that it's a source of protein, but among all, I think the best quality of bacon is to bring... pleasure. It's like a shortcut to happiness, a way to savor the present moment while angels are frolicking on your taste buds.

Moreover, bacon is not selfish : it has the very rare property to enhance quite any other kind of aliments. You have some food that looks tasteless and not really appetizing ? Well, add some bacon, and all of a sudden, it looks amazing ! You have a meal that looks sad and depressing ? Again, add some bacon and you end up with an exceptionally attractive plate ! In other words, bacon is like a cheat code to cooking, and I'm definitely also thankful for that. 

But that's not all : not only bacon makes YOU happy, but ALSO your neighborhood. Ever wondered what you could cook for breakfast to surprise your beloved half ? Well, there are many possibilities, but what I'm sure of is that the smell of grilled bacon in the morning is incredible. Ever wondered what you could cook to these children complaining about your ideas for supper ? Again, bacon proves to be the universal solution ! Your husband is getting annoying ? Bacon ! Some friends are coming over and seem hungry ? Bacon ! Your stepmother is having dinner with you tonight ? BACON ! 

And since a picture is worth a thousand words, let me finish this dithyramb by a picture to prove once and for all that bacon is amazing : http://i.perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/bacon-makes-less-potent-powerful-sperm-in-men-fish-better.gif

Admit it, you wish you could have some, eh ? 

I'm thankful for football as a sport, and Man United as my team! I can't quite describe the feeling of excitement, apprehension and tension in the build up to a match - any match; or the feeling of walking from my house to the ground on matchday - the knowledge that the thousands of people around you share an intangible sense of kinship is very bizarre. I never get bored of the buzz, the palpable atmosphere at home games; and I've been to (roughly) 300 of them over the years, if not a little more; but these are just regular days.

There are some things that are so vivid in the memory that they will live with me forever - my first European cup final as a 12 year old lad with my grandpa and dad in Barcelona, watching my beloved United losing to the mighty Bayern Munich. There was a minute left, if that. I remember intensely being embarrassed about the fact my eyes were wet, I couldn't believe we'd come so far and not won. I remember, weirdly, chewing on a strand of cotton I'd picked loose from my scarf, which was nearly suffocating me in the Spanish summertime evening, but I kept it on because it had a united badge on it. I felt hollow. Then we equalised, the place went beserk. My grandpa hugged me so tight I saw stars. Extra time. It couldn't happen, could it? No, it couldn't. No extra time; we scored again. Unbelievable. I later learnt that the comeback was so late that the officiators already had the wrong coloured ribbons on the trophy. I didn't know that at the time of course, all I knew is that my team just became the first British football team to win the famed treble. My dad was shouting gibberish, our goalie did a cartwheel, everyone was on their feet apart from my Grandpa. He was sitting down speechless and teary. It sounds silly that a game could move someone to tears like that, but my Grandpa was an old feller. He remembered United's first European win in 1968, and he remembered first hand the Munich tragedy which still haunts the club to this day, and he never thought he'd see it again. I feel privileged to have seen a side of him that not even my Grandma ever saw that night, and I have the team I love to thank for it.

Nearly a decade later, in 2008, United made another final - this time in Moscow. Older (and not so wiser) I went with friends instead and it was one of the most mental nights of my life. In pissing down rain, the match went to penalties and we watched on with glee as their captain skewed his shot and our keeper make a crucial save in the penalty afterwards to give us the win, the celebrations were outrageous. I was as drunk as I've ever been but, just like Barcelona in '99, there wasn't a single moment of that night I could ever forget. I can even remember the way the guy in front's collar was half folded and how it mildly irritated me all evening. These are the occasions that make you feel alive and even on the nights it doesn't go your way, it's still an unbelievable experience.

People think I'm off my trolley to spend so much money on but it's my passion and the success of my team means I have been lucky enough to have visited Marseille, Madrid, Bilbao, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Aalborg, Kiev, Milan, Munich, Oporto, Rome, Lisbon, Copenhagen, Gelsenkirchen, Graz and many more that don't immediately spring to mind - I can certainly say I wouldn't have been to most of these cities if not for football!

Two quotes that I feel sum it up rather elegantly.

"Football. Bloody hell!" - Sir Alex Ferguson

"Football. Fucking football! Imagine not being into it? Those poor, poor half-alive bastards." - Danny Baker.

I am thankful for my daughter. I am not comfortable going into a lot of details. She has changed my life for the better. Most know that she does not live with me but that I do still remain in contact as much as I can. She is an amazing little girl and when I think of her I can't help but to smile.

What I'm thankful for this year.

I have so much to be thankful for but I'm not going to touch on "what" I'm thankful for and focus more on "who" I'm thankful for.

This year I have a ton to be grateful for and it all starts with my beautiful wife.  On October of last year we were married and began to work on a little brother or sister for my step daughter Alyssa.  On July 11th, 2013, my wife gave birth to a beautiful baby boy Carter.  Aside from being thankful for my wife and step daughter I am so thankful for all 10 tiny fingers and 10 little tiny toes.  I am thankful that my son is healthy and that my wife came through the pregnancy and delivery ok!

This year I am also thankful for all the wonderful friends I have met in this community as well as the friendships we have created. 

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I am thankful for my girlfriend who I have been with for nearly four years now it's crazy to think how quick time goes by , she has always supported me and pushed me to be my best , but especially over the past year and a half has kept me from hitting rock bottom I have lost my grandfather who I was close with and cared for very much it was a tough time for me but she kept me up and going. This past spring I broke my femur and a few days after surgery I had some complications that didn't allow me to get air to my lungs and I ended up unconcious for a week and a half , when I woke up she was the first person I saw and the last person I would see at night she would stay there all day(other then to go home and shower) just because if I woke up at night she didn't want me to be alone.

I find it hard to express my emotions at times and come off sometimes as a person who's just chill and doesn't give a fuck well I keep alot to myself , but the truth is I love this girl when I want to give up she shows me why I should keep going and picks me up I am glad she is in my life and I want her to always be there , somebody once asked me what would I do without her in a joking manner but I thought about it and I honestly don't know what I would do without her everything I do she supports and helps get me through.

I am thankful I get to tell her I love her everyday I get to hug her when I get home from where ever I had gone and especially that she is the first face I see when I wake up. There has never been anything I have been sure of in life but I am sure I love her with all my heart and that she loves me all but more back and that I am especially thankful for.

I am thankful for my local library. I have an amazing friend and a co-worker when I volunteer here. Every time I come in to volunteer with the little kids it brings a smile to my face. Not only that I get to help children with their reading but I know that I will get to talk to a friend who has been in some of my similar situations and always has a time to talk things out with me.

I am thankful for the programs my library has. Reading has always been a get away for me. An escape. I love books. I love that this town has a book club. I know many think that every town does but that is not the case. The book clubs here have given me a safe place to come out of my shell and talk about things I love. Which as I grew I never really had the chance to do. When you live in a group home with a few girls sometimes its not easy to get the time to talk about yourself. Instead you end up listening to the more bossy ones talk about themselves.

The library is one of the few places I love. It is safe. I can be myself here and with people that actually listen. I get to help children and overall it is just a wonderful place to be.

I am thankful for all my time that I spend here.

I am thankful that I'm no longer addicted to MR. I am thankful that I no longer train a gun and get involved in the game. I am thankful that I no longer spend my nights awake because of any game. I am thankful that I don't spend days fighting wars. I am thankful that I now only have fun logging in once a day and having a banter with the very few people that are trully considered friends.

I am thankful for having my own opinions and standing up for the things I beleive in. I am thankful for not being a kiss ass. I am thankful that I can easily crack myself up laughing and that I take everything in a light manner.

I am thankful that I can still have fun and get laughs in this community. That's a blast!