Every year, my Thanksgiving column lists the things that I am thankful for, and this year is no exception. Yes, even a crusty old grump like me feels thankful, and this year there was a lot of warm and fuzzies to feel happy about.

First and foremost, I am thankful for my growing family. From my wife and son (who give my life meaning and help me to feel fulfilled) to my grandchildren (who give me purpose), I feel like I have it pretty good in the family department. We even managed to expand our family by one more member the other day when my son rescued a stray cat that has now become his new best buddy. Our cats are important to us, and they are also something I am thankful for.

I am thankful for Scott and Heather and the opportunities they give me to express myself on East Niagara Post. With the addition of the live Lockport Express broadcasts, I am now more involved in the Lockport media scene than I ever thought I would be. It is great, and I love every minute of it. It is great to have an outlet for my nonsense, and to also have a way for my more creative side to get seen by the public.

I’m thankful for close friends like Craig Bacon who have become experts at talking me down from the bell tower, and then returning the favor by allowing me to play the hero once in a while. I am pretty sure that anyone who sat and listened to a conversation between me and Craig would be angry, sad, laughing and offended all at the same time.

I am thankful that I discovered how Twitter actually works and now use it as a way to escape the low-IQ Neanderthals on Facebook. The difference between Facebook and Twitter is staggering, and looking at Facebook as an outsider helps me to appreciate how stupid the American public can be.

I am thankful that 2016 is the last year of the Obama presidency, although I am not thankful for it in the same way that uneducated, racist, Donald Trump-loving, fear mongering idiots are thankful. Let’s just leave it at that.

I am thankful that, for yet another year, I did not watch Fox News for one single minute. I feel smarter for doing that, and you should give it a try. No, really. A lot of you should stop watching that channel before your IQs go negative.

I’m thankful that the people of Lockport gave the city a fighting chance by changing out the majority of the Common Council. I said during the campaign that if Anne McCaffrey got re-elected it would not be the worst thing in the world, but everyone else needed to go. With the exception of one alderman, everyone was changed out.

I am thankful that there are parts of the city I can drive in that do not threaten to bottom out my car. We still have a lot of work to do on the roads, but at least the majority of the city is passable now.

I am thankful that I am finally involved in the very beginning stages of developing a career as a novelist. I am admittedly a little late in life to be starting something like this, but dreams do not have an age attached to them and I intend to see this one through to the end.

I am thankful that the Internet continues to offer me the opportunity to provide for my family without having to deal with leaving the house all the time. My lack of desire to deal with people has always been a hindrance to holding down a real job. For yet another year, I don’t have to worry about that, and I am thankful.

I know I mentioned my family earlier, but I want to separate out my wife as the final reason I am thankful. There is no way I could do the things I do or live the way I live without her undying support and unbelievable patience. Anyone who knows me knows that my wife is a saint because I am probably the single most difficult person to deal with, much less live with. But she does it with a reassuring smile that gets me through the day. It is her that I do not want to let down and she is the reason that I feel so keenly bad when I fail. I cannot fail because I owe her so much, and there is no way I can repay her. All I can do is keep trying to provide her with what she needs to be happy, and hope that it is always enough.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. See you at the arena on Saturday for Hockey Day in Lockport. It is going to be epic!

+George N Root III is a Lockport resident who loves the holidays. Follow him on Twitter @georgenroot3, or send him a message at georgenroot3@gmail.com.

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East Niagara Post is the official media sponsor of Hockey Day in Lockport.