One of the benefits of writing this blog is that I can use it as a sounding board; it's quite therapeutic for some reason.  No one may ever read any of this but yet it will have still served a useful purpose in my life.  Then again, maybe someone, someday, will come across these posts and find some comfort in their familiarity. 

Turkey time is now upon us (and Black Friday is looming) but I fear that not unlike Christmas, many people don't honor the spirit of the day.  It would seem that some only look at it as a day off from work filled with lots of food, relatives and football instead of an opportunity to take stock of their lives and be thankful for what they have, no matter how bad the past year has been. 

As some of you may know from reading this blog, my closest relative, friend and Brother - my cousin Jeff - passed away earlier this year; the devastation to myself and my family caused in part by the circumstances of his death has only become magnified with the arrival of the Holiday season.  It just ain't the same anymore...  Even though a part of me would just like to use it as an excuse to forget about the holidays and lash out at the commercialization of what used to be a purely humanitarian season, I realize that's not really the right course of action to take.  So, in lieu of transforming myself into the proverbial crotchety old codger who's sole joy in life is chasing kids off his front lawn with a cane, I will instead treat it as an opportunity not only to do some quiet contemplation but to find the positives in life and give ample thanks for them.

Luckily, this year I'm spit roasting the turkey over a wood fire... it's primal, it's lengthy and, to borrow a phrase from my favorite TV cook, it's damn good eats.  But perhaps best of all is the time and attention it will take to cook; there are few things like sitting by a fire, guitar in hand, to make you feel human again.

Have a happy Thanksgiving Brothers, the best to all of you!

-Scott