Tag Archives: spirituality

Thursday Morning Ramblings – Thankful #25

November 25, 2010 D.A. Adams Leave a comment

I’m thankful for Collin Patrick and Whitley Finnegan Adams. They are the light in my soul and the two greatest sons a man could ask for. Every moment I have with them is cherished and savored, and even though the time is never enough, I am grateful for what we do get to spend together. Of all the jobs and roles I’ve filled, “Daddy” has fit the best, and I’m thankful that I have gotten to experience it.

If you boys ever read this, please know that there has not been one second when you weren’t the most important thing in my life. When we are apart, there is not one fraction of a second when I don’t miss you. And even though I am 500 miles away in body, I am always with you in spirit. No man has ever loved his sons more than I love you boys, and I am proud of both of you.

I hope with all my heart that one day we’ll have more time together. There’s so much I want to teach you about life and manhood, lessons your grandfather and great-grandfather taught me. There’s so much I want to teach you about the world, about the possibilities and potentials around us. Please know that I am doing everything I can to have that time with you.

Today is my birthday, and I wish you were here to share it with me. There is nothing else I’d rather do on my birthday than play with you guys. You both are the funniest and sweetest children in the world, and I am blessed and thankful and grateful to be your father and daddy and parent. Thank you, my sons, for being so wonderful. I love you.

General Posts, Ramblings of Thanks

Wednesday Afternoon Ramblings – Thankful #24

November 24, 2010 D.A. Adams 2 Comments

I’m thankful for life. Twice in mine I’ve nearly lost it, and no matter how dark things may get, I’m grateful to still draw breath. When I was eight, I developed severe anemia from a tick bite and very nearly didn’t make it. To this day, I have no memories of that summer, other than stories that have been told to me. When I was sixteen, I suffered a terrible head injury that quite literally almost killed me, and for a couple of days, my future was very much uncertain. I’m a slow learner, so it took a few years after that accident for me to realize just how lucky I am to be here. I spent too many years of my life mourning for what I lost, instead of being grateful for the life I still had. Today, I am wise enough to know that as long as we are on this earth, we have the greatest gift possible.

I’ve seen hard times. I’ve been about as desolate as a man can be, living in places that would have been considered condemned by many. I’ve spent many long, dark nights alone, weeping over my children and missing them more deeply than any words could describe. I’ve watched my career stall and sputter and go nowhere despite my best efforts to make something positive happen. I’ve been through difficulties, and no matter how badly things have gone or how dark my nights might have gotten, I’m glad to be here alive experiencing this life. Living life, breathing it in, and feeling it course through my veins are enough to be thankful for. Everything else, as they say, is just gravy.

I’m grateful for my life because it gives me the opportunity to continue giving my love to the people who deserve it: my sons, nieces, parents, sister, and friends. I’m grateful for the opportunity to grow old near the sea and sun, sharing my love as best as I can. I’m truly the luckiest man alive and have been blessed with more than any one person deserves. I would endure the dark days and low points again a thousand times just to have the good once more.

When you are feeling down or overwhelmed or fed up, come back and read this post. The peaks and valleys are inevitable. Difficulties and sorrow will come to everyone’s life, and all of us have moments when it seems like too much to endure, but that’s the price of admission. This journey we get to experience is priceless and amazing, and no matter how many people try to tear you down or make you feel as if your life isn’t important, you have to remember that you are a strong person who can overcome any obstacle and achieve any goal. Those people are not worth your time and energy, so only share yourself with those who enrich you and give you strength.

Life is beautiful. Life is precious. Life will be what you make of it. On this day, I am thankful for the life I have.

General Posts, Ramblings of Thanks

Tuesday Morning Ramblings – Thankful #23

November 23, 2010 D.A. Adams Leave a comment

I’m thankful for my imagination. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a creative drive, an insatiable need to express the thoughts and ideas that bubble up in the mad scientist’s cauldron that is my mind. Awareness of this creativity began around eight or nine, when I first began playing with Star Wars toys, and instead of replaying the movie over and over, I would create my own storyline and remake the characters into what I wanted them to be. Then, my cousin Sam introduced me to Dungeons and Dragons, and my imagination found an outlet that to this date is unrivaled. Despite the stigma attached back then (I don’t know if it’s still the same today), role playing games were the most positive and productive form of entertainment I ever encountered. Developing characters and then later sketching out adventures as Dungeon Master brought me out of my introverted shell and helped me learn how to interact socially. And being encouraged and praised for my creativity gave me an inkling of self-confidence at an age when I had none.

I’m a writer because of my imagination. Writing is my form of expression for those bubbles in the cauldron. I’ve attempted a couple of times to walk away from writing and not look back because the life is difficult and often lonely, but each time, the need to release my pent-up imaginings would gnaw and gnaw and gnaw at me until I had no choice but to pick up a pen or sit down at the computer. I write this blog for much the same reason. Right now, with my current career in education, I simply don’t have the time or energy or concentration to work on a novel day in and day out the way I need to, so the blog allows me to release my creative desires and maintain my writing skills without having to focus as much as I would for a full book.

The only downside to my imagination an creativity is that I have difficulty remembering details precisely as they occurred. For instance, I can rarely quote a movie line verbatim because I’m usually rewording the line how I would have written it. So my friends often have to correct me when I attempt to quote something. To me, that’s a small price to pay for this amazing gift. I love being imaginative and creative, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. I’m eternally thankful and grateful for my imagination, for my creativity, for my ability to make something where before there was nothing. It’s a special gift, one that I cherish and revere.