With Thanksgiving Day coming up next week we would all benefit by recognizing the many blessings that come our way and by being thankful for those blessings. For example, just this past week I had the good fortune of being included in the festivities surrounding the celebration of the birthday of my two identical grandsons, Patrick Robert Nix and Davis Reece Nix, and it was a wonderful occasion. I am SO PROUD of these two young men. They are splendid in every way. Patrick is married to a beautiful young lady named Shea, and Davis has a fantastic relationship with a beautiful young lady named Camille.

These are relationships truly made in Heaven, and I know they are all on the way to bright and successful futures. I know My Emma would have been so proud to have been here for this occasion, and I believe she was indeed here with us in spirit. And while I am giving thanks for these grandchildren, I also want to give thanks for my other grandchildren - Rachel Nix, Tessa Gardner, and Little Emma Gardner. I am so blessed to have a part in the lives of such wonderful and LOVING YOUNG PEOPLE, and I let them know that on a regular basis. And one of the main points I want to make in the writing of this THANKSGIVING Column is to stress the importance of letting those who mean so much to us know how much we love and appreciate them. All of us have so much to be thankful for, so much that we hardly know where to begin or end. As a child growing up in Chesterfield, SC, our means, like those of most everyone else around us, were, to say the least, modest, but I look back now and realize I had so much to be thankful for - a loving Mother whom I am convinced came as close to being an angel as it was possible to be on this earth, and a Dad and brothers and sisters who truly loved and supported each other.

When I hear the song, "Precious Memories," I think of those days. And all through the years since then, my blessings have continued, with a loving and PRECIOUS wife, Emma, our three beautiful children, Jessica, Reece, and Jason, along with their spouses, Bob, Lisa, and Christie, and our precious grandchildren. We need to recognize and be thankful for our blessings every day. To quote author Tillman King, "If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you fall asleep, I'd hold you very close and pray the Lord your soul to keep; If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you walk out the door, I'd give you a special hug and say 'I LOVE YOU' just once more." So hold your loved ones close today and tell them that you care, tell them that you love them and always want them near. Take time to say "I'm sorry," "Please forgive me." "Thank you," or "It's OK," Then, if tomorrow never comes, there'll be no regrets today. So when life gives us 100 reasons to cry, let's show life we have 1,000 reasons to smile.

Now for a parting thought: Three things we can't recover: A stone once it's been thrown, a word once it's been spoken, and time after it's gone. And a little humorous close: An exercise for people who are out of shape: Begin with a five-pound potato bag in each hand. Extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there for a full minute, and then relax. After a few weeks move up to ten-pound potato bags. Then try 50-pound potato bags, and eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-pound potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight out for a full minute. Once you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each bag!