Mark, Rene’, and A.J. Munger
I am thankful for life, that I have been able to experience this wonderful thing we call existence.
I am thankful that God, Jesus, and my faith provides me with tools to live a good and ethical life.
I am thankful for having made the decision in 1977 to ask Rene’ Privette Munger to share my life with me.
I am thankful that Rene’ Privette Munger said yes.
I am thankful for my four sons-Matt, Dylan, Chris, and Jack-young men who have made me laugh, cry, and swell with pride as they mature.
I am thankful for my brother Dave and my sister Annie who make my life so much richer and fuller.
I am thankful for my parents and their partners, all of whom have given me, my wife, and my children, love.
I am thankful for my mother and father in law (both now gone and at rest) who gave their lovely daughter to me in marriage and who were part of my life for nearly forty years.
I am thankful for my daughter-in-law Lisa who has blessed Matt her love, understanding, and companionship (and who has brought some stability to the crazy Munger clan).
I am thankful for my grandson A.J.: the light of our lives and the beacon of the future.
I am thankful for my son Dylan’s partner, Shelly, for giving him direction and purpose.
I am thankful for all my friends, old and new, who have meant so much to me and who have supported me throughout life’s many twists and turns.
I am thankful for my nieces and nephews and their parents.
I am thankful that, 28 years ago, I chanced upon a want ad for a 1921 Sears home and hobby farm for sale: This place, and the black water that surrounds it, are now a part of my being.
I am thankful for my health and the health of those I love.
I am thankful for my aunt Susanne who inspired me to put pencil to paper and for all the other relatives in the Kobe and Munger families (most of whom are no longer with us) who mentored me and showered me with their love and understanding when I was growing up.
I am thankful for all those I have worked with over the years: my law partners; the employees and judges and staffs of the courthouses I serve; and those who I worked with at various jobs while going to college and law school. I learned so much from them as I made my way to the bench.
I am thankful for our president and other leaders who, though I may not always agree with their decisions, have chosen lives of public service.
I am thankful for the men and women of this nation who, every morning, put on uniforms as soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen or women, members of the Coast Guard, law enforcement officers, or first responders to serve and protect the rest of us from harm.
I am thankful for my readers, folks who are willing to take a chance and read what a “semi-famous novelist” has to say.
I am thankful for the volunteer coaches and leaders who mentored me in Boy Scouts, on athletic fields, and at church. I am thankful for the folks who have done, and are doing, the same thing for my sons and other young men and women.
I am thankful that, on this Thanksgiving Day, 2012, I can sit at my computer overlooking my beloved Cloquet River and anticipate the arrival of family.
May you also have a wondrous and thankful day of good food and companionship.
Peace.
Mark
