Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me in a Month of Thanksgiving, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas.
Day 27: Giving thanks for my friends
Yesterday I gave thanks for my hubby, John Tebeau, my best friend.
I’m also grateful for numerous other wonderful friends who make my life better.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOqyygAQSX0]
This is far from a comprehensive list so I hope I’m not hurting anyone’s feelings if you aren’t on this list. I’m trying to practice shorter blog posts so this is just a snippet to get myself thinking in this direction today.

• I’m grateful for Lara, who is a creative inspiration because of how hard she works at her writing and who is somehow both the girl who makes me laugh hardest and the one who I can unconditionally count on for a serious ear when something’s eating at me. (By the way, she will almost certainly prefer this version of the song.) As a bonus, I’m super grateful Lara married Rob because I love them as a couple and I love them each individually. He’s smart and hilarious and deeply compassionate.
• I’m grateful for Jim and Courtney, who were among the first people we knew in New York and who have really helped to define our social experience here. They introduced us to the core group of people we socialize with, and this year they’re again hosting us for Thanksgiving at their place. They’re good people, generous, thoughtful, and a hella lot of fun.
• I’m grateful for Lisa who seems to have in many ways lived a parallel life to mine, in spite of the fact that she was a cool high school pom pon girl while I was hanging out with the theater and band kids. We both grew up in Michigan, had some similar adult heart breaks, got advanced degrees and became suits in New York. Lisa is the girl who if you want someone to go with you to almost anything, you can pretty much bet she’s up for it, and I always enjoy the conversation. She’s unafraid to share what’s on her mind and in her heart.
• I’m grateful for Lou and Mary Jean. Mary Jean and I are in the third phase of our friendship, which is just a blast. We worked together in Saginaw, then lost touch before bumping into each other randomly in Ann Arbor years later. I ended up working for Lou at Argus, and because I liked them both so much, I wasn’t about to let a little thing like losing my job end the friendship. They moved to Brooklyn not long after we moved to New York and it’s fun to be neighbors again. I can lose hours talking to either or both of them. They’re smart, have eclectic interests and knowledge and you just never know where the conversation might unfold, but it’ll be good.
• I’m grateful for my old college roommate Barry, and that he married Carrie, who’s by all accounts a perfect match for him, and that they had the good sense to name their daughter Mary, because wouldn’t it be a shame if they had a child and she didn’t rhyme.  There is no way of counting how many games of euchre we’ve played with Barry and Carrie, but however many it is, that’s also the number of games when Barry has bluffed his butt off calling trump. Spending an evening with Barry and Carrie is like putting on your favorite old sweatshirt — so comfortable and easy, in the best sense of what that means. When we go back to Michigan to visit, even though we’ve been away, it feels like we’ve never left. They’re like family, but without the drama.
• I’m grateful for Bob and Kathleen, some of the best travel playmates we could ever hope to have. We’ve been on several vacations with them and they’re the perfect mix of laid back, going with whatever happens, and up for exploring and making fun happen. Whether hanging out poolside in Punta Cana or strolling around the fairgrounds at the New Orleans Jazz Fest, they’re a fun couple to enjoy the world with. Thankfully they’re going to Jazz Fest again next year so we’ve got another fun adventure to look forward to.

There are many more where that came from, and I’m going to commit to reaching out to all of you personally instead of just posting a drawn-out laundry list.
The point is, I’m beyond blessed to have great people in my life and I don’t take that for granted.
Who are the friends you’re grateful for and why? Have you told them?