2017 Thankfulness Countdown
November 29 & 30, 2017
As the last two days of November came and went, I was reminded that the next day, December 1 was Jeffery’s birthday. So, another trip around the sun with a man I love. Thanksgiving is a year-round event, at least in attitude, and I honestly try to be thankful the whole time. Often, it’s difficult, but mostly it’s rewarding – and a reminder that gratitude has a way of permeating one’s entire existence. Thank you, Lord, for my life, my health, Jeffery’s presence, and our continued lives together.
November 28, 2017
I’m thankful I don’t suffer from claustrophobia.
November 27, 2917
Lunch dates with friends are nice.
November 25-26, 2017
Grateful for stamina, dedication in others. The weekend has been athletic as the show I’m in approaches opening night. Thankful for new friends to explore new material, and old friends to revisit old material. And beyond thankful for a husband to endures and supports me in both.
November 24, 2017
This is a repeat from previous years, but more special is the fact that another year has gone by. I inherited a number of things from my mother, among them “that look,” seen here from approximately 1983. How many parent/teacher conferences included conversation wherein the teacher would say, “he ‘looked’ at me that way.” People who know me well will likely get a kick out of that, especially those teachers who remain my friends today. A spunky person by nature, Camille A. King, even today at the age of 88, generally calls it as she sees it. While she sometimes holds her tongue, on the occasion when my inner voice of reason starts speaking in my head, I try to think about what Mom would say – inside or out loud. When this happens, I am keenly aware it’s my mother talking. The older I get, the more this seems to happen… There is a brutal honesty wrapped in compassion and love. The mixture of my parents’ personalities was sort of put in a blender, and my temperament got poured out. And so, if daddy was the iron fist, mom was the velvet glove. I am thankful for both!
November 23, 2017, Thanksgiving Day
I am thankful for the opportunity to share the day with friends whose roots are from Texas, New York and more. We’ll eat too much, laugh a lot and talk about the world.
November 22 ,2017
Today I am thankful for technology that allows me to do things. Having lived through the days of carbon paper, tissue overlays, india ink and manual color separation, it’s nice that I can put together an entire project package in a series of 1s and 0s. 1000000100010101010101010001000111
November 21, 2017
Having played a father in three of the last shows I’ve done, and having sung about my daddy in concert recently, I’m thankful for the values and clarity he taught me. I believe clarity was taught, so it’s not innate – it’s learned.
November 20, 2017
Willing listeners and honest exchange. You know who you are. I’m grateful.
November, 19, 2017
Performance is often viewed through the lens of the viewer. You go see a show or concert, you (hopefully) enjoy it and applaud. But the other side of the coin is often missed. I am thankful for the opportunity to collaborate with others – the process, the rehearsal, the experience – and yes, the ups and the downs. If we do it right, audiences are entertained. But all the while, we make new friends, learn new material, and get to enjoy the ‘bringing about’ of an experience.
November 18, 2017
As I get a bit older and my addled brain has trouble remembering lines, this little gem is a great help. Everyone has techniques and tricks for memorizing lines and lyrics.
I am thankful for the Rehearsal Pro app on my iPad. This is not a commercial for the app, but I have to say being able to run lines with myself gets me through.
November 17, 2017
My brothers are some crazy, funny, wonderful men. I have five in all; three I grew up with and two I met later in life. Years and miles separate us, but when all’s said and done, there’s love there. We don’t always agree, and just like when we were kids, we’ll fight with each other. But mess with one of us, you take us all on. Chuck (Sr.), Richard, Chuck (Chucky), Craig and Cary are good men who, like me, have their foibles. And that only makes the fabric of my family all the more interesting. For that, I give thanks.
November 16, 2017
I am grateful for others’ achievements and success through gratitude… Over the last several months, I have seen friends build and move into new homes, get promotions in jobs, succeed in sporting competitions, personal growth, and more. My first reaction is always “Good for you!” I tend not to be envious of other people’s achievements and, instead prefer to celebrate them. I spent a few years in counseling in my early 40s, and one of the things I learned (and that has really really stuck) is coming from a place of gratitude makes it physically impossible to be anxious. Did you know that? It’s true. And so, today, I am grateful for being grateful.
November 15, 2017
I’m incredibly thankful to have become a grown man, and thankful to so many who helped me get there. Over the past few days I’ve been mourning the loss of a friend and reading articles and posts by friends about aging. This morning, I came across a post of a friend’s experience in high school that caught my eye. And this got me thinking about my own journey from the 15-year-old-kid in high school, brashly coming out of the closet and wearing my sexual orientation like what I thought was a suit of armor. That story is yet to be fully retold.
We laugh a lot about some of the silliness of our youth and, I think sometimes, even romanticize it. Thank you, Scott Vernon, who took this group of kids under his wing and taught us both by word and deed. Thanks to Tim Leach for helping me swim to the surface while allowing me to reciprocate – both gifts. Thanks to Alica Levy Healy, for being one of the few voices who didn’t just tolerate me (which must’ve been a challenge indeed), but openly welcomed me. And the ineffable Liz Reddick, my best friend, confidant, and running buddy for guidance. Thanks to my family who endured that “phase” of my life – your gift to me of love, compassion, and patience got me here.
But most importantly, thanks to Jeffery, whom I believe God set in my path for far too many reasons to mention. Yes, I am thankful, indeed. [Reshare]
November 14, 2017
This is one of those I reuse in some way each year. The original sentiment was shared by my sister, Cathy, and it speaks so strongly to my heart. I am thankful for the gift and love of music – all genres (well, except rap, maybe). As I grow older and my life twists and turns, music allows for escape. Music allows for ministry. Music provides entertainment-whether listening or performing. My roots include a large family that shares that love with me. Growing up in a musical family has been a wonderful blessing and many of the happiest holiday memories are those where everyone is around the piano singing. We even sing Happy Birthday in 4 part harmony! Thank you Lord for music.
November 13, 2017
Posted Early: I was auditioning tonight at Trustus Theatre and sat near the entrance of the theatre because my friend, Will Moreau, was going to meet me there and audition. We were told that after we sang, we could leave, but I hung out waiting for Will.
The auditions were completed, and as I was about to leave, my phone buzzed with a text message. It was then that I learned Will passed away after a heart attack last night. I’m shocked, and I’m stunned. I’m grateful, so very, very grateful, to have known this man.
An activist for Native Americans, a performer with whom I’ve had the opportunity to share the stage, but mostly a genuinely nice, giving person. Words simply cannot express how wonderful Will was, and certainly, no words suffice to say how much he will be missed. Columbia’s theatre community is in mourning. Will’s friends are in mourning.
November 12, 2017
This is one of my annual November posts, which I’ll share every year I’m alive and still on Facebook. My sister, Cathy, is such an important person in my life. When I was a baby, she was like a second mother to me and changed my diapers. When I was a child, she put band-aids on my skinned knee. When I was a teenager struggling with my sexual orientation, she was my champion and protector. Now, as a man, she is my friend and confidant. The 14 years that separate us by birth have grown much smaller and the love and gratitude we feel for each other is immeasurable. This photo, taken during a trip to New York in the early 2000s marks the place in time at which I realized, and told her, she is one of the people who inspire me. She is a cancer survivor whose faith in God, fortitude in life, and enduring love and support are unmatched. My earnest wish is that others have the opportunity to experience this kind of relationship. When times are good, they are very good. And when times are bad, they are still good because of her presence in my life.
November 11, 2017
Borrowed from a few years ago: Today, I’m thankful for roots, immigration, family, and faith. I am thankful for this group of people who are the genesis of what became a huge Italian tribe in Galveston, Texas. Most of my family have seen this picture, taken on the steps of the chapel at First Presbyterian Church in Galveston, Texas, of my extended family, and great-grandmother (smack in the middle, of course) who started the odd, certainly for the time, Italian-Presbyterian group. The stories of her baking protestant bibles into loaves of bread to avoid persecution from the Catholic Church in Italy are amazing.
I am thankful that as a second-generation American, I have a deeply held love of the many cultures that ultimately made this country what it is. My grandparents, Steve Kotlarich (Yugoslavia) and Josephine Marchesi Kotlarich (Italy) are pictured bottom right with my youngest aunt, Joanne. I am thankful my faith is almost literally a part of my DNA and has been lovingly supported throughout my entire life. As I have grown older and, hopefully, wiser, I have also learned to embrace questioning, study, and critical thinking which serves to enhance and strengthen that faith, and my strong belief in ultimately social and religious justice. And most of all, I am thankful for my family, whose love and support remain timeless – even though I pioneered being the rainbow sheep of the entire family.
Ever the rebel, they don’t all necessarily agree with my opinions all of the time, they will fight to the mat to defend my right to have those opinions. (My 85-year-old mother, pictured bottom right on the ledge, was 5 or 6 in this picture.) If you compare her baby pictures with mine, it’s often hard to tell us apart, so I am also thankful I have some really good genes
November 10, 2017
We live in a house built in 1898. It is not energy efficient and leaks air like a sieve. There are very few level surfaces in it. But she’s a grand dame. I’m grateful to have a roof over my head, warmth on chilly nights, and a place to call home. There are many folks who don’t have these things.
November 9, 2017
Last night, I was discussing music and, in particular, playing the flute. I’ve been playing since I was in the sixth grade, and I generally take for granted the fact that I can pick up my horn to play without a great deal of practice. With singing or playing a string instrument, there’s more opportunity for wrong notes to happen. With a flute, a b-flat is always a b-flat – perhaps a bit out of tune, but still the correct note. Now, I can’t just pick up my flute and knock out Mozart’s Concerto in G, but I’m thankful for the instruction and experience I’ve had.
November 8, 2017
Today I am thankful for cooler weather in the forecast. The reality is I need to launder my warm-weather clothes, and the lowering temperatures help me ignore that pile!
November 7, 2017
I ran behind, but couldn’t let another day go by without expressing thanks for the amazing friends we have. Like a marriage, these are the folks who stick with you in the good times and the bad. We are blessed and fortunate to have amongst ‘our people’ some individuals who provide laughter, counsel, help and love – just to mention a few…
November 6, 2017
Today is about something small, but I think, important. On two separate occasions today, someone smiled at me, and I smiled at three people myself. We were all strangers, and yet, just like yawns, smiles are also contagious – in a nice way. You never know how your actions will affect someone else. And you never know if you might’ve made the difference in their day being terrible or bearable. I’m glad to have spread a smile and smiles shared with me.
November 5, 2017
(Borrowed a bit from history.) Four years and two weeks ago, I exchanged vows with the most important person in my life. Because we are, perhaps oddly, traditionalists in this way, those vows included ‘richer and poorer’, ‘in sickness and in health’, and ‘in joy and in sorrow’. We honor each other and try to obey – at least where it really counts… But over the last 34 years (and 14 days) we have experienced so much good, bad, up, down, and in between. Yesterday, we waged war against fleas. This is definitely part of the “sorrow” as our two pups have been afflicted with these stupid critters! Not only alarming (and disgusting), but we feel so badly for our fur babies. In the midst of all of it, we support each other in navigating life together – fleas and all. With gratitude, I ride this journey together, with my husband, Jeffery, and keep on keeping on.
November 4, 2017
Quiet Saturday mornings are a time I’ve come to appreciate so much. Just like in Kindergarten when I’d be awake early enough to watch cartoons, no matter how busy my week, was or how late I stayed up the night before, I relished that early Saturday time. These days, rather than watch cartoons, I watch the sunrise. I watch the world wake up – the dogs snuggle in their bed and decide it’s time for breakfast, and the birds start singing. Saturday is also the day of chores and catch-up, but leading up to that is solitude- something I don’t need a lot of, but something I enjoy when I have it.
November 3, 2017
So here’s a silly thing… I’m thankful I only need my glasses to drive, watch movies at the cinema or (to wear contacts) to play racquetball. I have 11 million pairs of glasses – an unlikely combination of prescription glasses, sunglasses, bifocals, and CVS readers. I can never find a pair of whichever ones I seem to need at the moment, but in a pinch can squint enough to either get where I’m going or to read the itsy bitsy teeny tiny print on product packaging. Today, I’m celebrating one of those small things…
November 2, 2017
Every day, something happens that gives me pause. Every day, in spite of challenges, there’s a silver lining – sometimes just a sliver – but it’s there. Whether it’s finding a lost item after weeks of searching or coming home to find an amazing home-cooked meal, the small things will often help you through the bigger ones. My goal for the season is to continue to find those slivers.
November 1, 2017
Thus far, 2017 has been a year of challenges and triumphs, and of growth and reflection. Gypsy’s crossing the rainbow bridge was difficult, but I find solace in knowing for 17 years, our love of her, and hers of us, was strong and ongoing. And this morning as I sit here looking at our two mini Schnauzers who, as you all know, make up a large portion of my heart, I’m reminded of how much joy they bring to our lives (current flea issue notwithstanding). Gilbert is alive and well which itself is a miracle, and Sullivan reportedly waits all day by the back gate for me to return home. Despite life’s challenges, they are one of the many blessings in my life.
