It's Time To Count Our Blessings

There are at least six things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Count me among those who enjoyed playing the Iron Bowl the week following the Georgia game. It's hard to get excited about Thanksgiving when the biggest day of the year follows only 48 hours later.

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. The older I get the more I enjoy Turkey Day. There's no stressing over gifts to buy and you still get to eat good food and watch football. When you think about it, it's the perfect American holiday.

If only we didn't have to worry about the Iron Bowl.

Wouldn't it be nice to have number seven in our pocket come Thursday morning? I say we make a pact right now. On Thursday we put the Iron Bowl in the back of our minds and give thanks for our family, friends and health.  Deal?  I'm starting right now.  Below are the things I'm most thankful for this Thanksgiving...

• I'm thankful to have found the perfect wife. For more than 15 years she's been letting me come home every night. I still look at her and wonder how I got so lucky. The older I get the more I realize what a gift I've been given.
• I'm thankful to live near Auburn. There's nothing more soothing than returning to Auburn on a Saturday afternoon after a long, tough week at work. A few hours in Auburn, game day or not, is better than any therapy on the market.
• I'm thankful to be an Auburn person. There are many great schools around the country, but there's nothing like Auburn, Alabama. It's hard to explain to those who haven't felt it.  The Auburn spirit is unlike anything I've ever experienced. You all know what I mean.
• I'm thankful for two of the best kids in the world. They've taken on my love for Auburn football and that means everything in the world to me.  My daughter is always by my side on Game Day and its something I cherish every single time. I just wish it could last forever. My son looks just like Terry Beasley when he puts on that Auburn jersey. Now if I can just teach him to catch like Beasley, I'll never have to work again.
• I'm thankful that I live in a country that despite it deep problems, can argue and debate for more than two years over who should be President and then peacefully come together to choose one without the first bullet being fired. It's still an amazing process to me even when my candidate doesn't win.
• I'm thankful for people like Dean Foy. Has there ever been a better living symbol of the Auburn spirit than this man? What a shame that money gets in the way of so many good things. I hope the Auburn administration comes to its senses and does the right thing and puts Foy's name on the new Student Activities Building.
• I'm thankful that I'm nearly 40 years old and I still have my grandparents. Having them all this time has been the greatest gift of my life.
• I'm thankful for Jimmy Wales. Who's that you ask?  Wales is the founder of Wikipedia and a graduate of Auburn. The Huntsville native has created quite possibly the coolest app on the internet. I go there thousands of times each year.
• I'm thankful for all the Auburn Olympians. I have never been more proud to be a graduate of Auburn University than I was this past summer during the Olympics in Beijing. The effort and dedication of our Auburn athletes was awe inspiring.
• I'm thankful to be an Alabamian. In my day job, I've had the privilege of traveling to 44 states around this great country and I can say without reservation, there's no place like home. They can make fun of Alabama if they wish, but for me, there's no place else I'd rather be.
• I'm thankful for Charles Barkley. He's one of the truly great ambassadors for Auburn. Is he outspoken? Sure. But nobody loves Auburn any more than Barkley and he always uses the national stage to promote our school. He also puts his money where his mouth is, quietly giving millions to the University.
• I'm thankful for the six game winning streak over Alabama. Nobody has deserved this kind of humiliation more than the Tide. Who knows what Saturday will bring, but you can bet that despite their 11-0 record, there's a hint of doubt on each of the Alabama players minds tonight. Thank you Tommy Tuberville.
• Finally, I'm thankful for the three guys who work with me here at Track'em Tigers. They are simply the best. Nobody loves Auburn more than them. Because of these guys joining the team, this past year has been my most rewarding as a blogger.

I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving and I look forward to talking with you this weekend. Don't count Auburn out yet. Number seven is not out of the question. War Eagle!