I moan a lot and rarely speak well of the things I love, at least not in public. It is easier somehow to show a dark streak than it is to share what little light I possess. So I'll try something new here. Let me greet the new year by publicly giving thanks.
First and foremost: I have a wonderful and loving wife. She not only tolerates my moods and long hours, but she enjoys the time we spend together. I genuinely do not know why I deserve the good fortune to be loved so completely, but I am thankful.
Second, our three children are healthy, loving and complete human beings. Somehow, each still enjoys time with me. (They have all graduated college and flown the coop.) I watch them with joy and thank them for enriching my life.
Third, I am in good health and still able to shoulder the loads I have selected. My hair is turning gray, my eyes aren't what they were and I could be more fit, but I am blessed by a family with longevity and by good health.
Fourth, the folks I work with are wonderful. I tell each of them when hired that they are now a part of my family. I don't always get things right, and I sometimes make horrible mistakes -- that happens in a family. But I am fortunate to have the loyalty of good people in my life.
Fifth, I have readers! It's been ten years now since I started writing a weekly column on the law in the Connecticut Law Tribune. Mike Cernovich over at Crime and Federalism started me blogging in 2005. I have stopped and started both the column and blogging from time to time, but I enjoy verbal expression, and am thrilled you read.
Finally, I am grateful to the clients who trust me. I worry that I am far less equipped in terms of wisdom and patience than many of them need. Next year I promise to give my all.
Happy New Year