It is amazing how fast time flies by and we are once again at the "

So, let me say a week before the actual event (I am about to take a week off with family—my family rocks), Happy Thanksgiving!

It has been and continues to be a crazy year of ups and downs (mostly downs) in the financial world's local and abroad. In light of this, many who have lost jobs and suffering financial strain may be thinking "what is there to be thankful for?" Well...there is plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Here comes the response, "How can you answer this question when you have a job?" And...response, I learned a lot from my Father's job loss when I was teenager.

A little context is needed. My mom was an elementary school cafeteria manager and my father a purchasing agent. Both of my parents, being raised during the Great Depression (my parents were older than most of my friend's parents—I am thankful for this gift), knew how to get by with little and "make due" with the resources they had. In other words, we did not get caught up in debt situations often and did without things until we could pay for them (my mom was the queen of Layaway programs). This made it difficult to keep up with the Joneses (whoever they are). Even so, I had a wonderful childhood filled with great memories and plenty of "stuff." My junior year, my dad lost his job. This put a dent in the family budget and put a halt on much of my spending patterns—teenagers have always loved to spend. Around seven years later my father passed away after a long term illness. So...that's the context.

What did I learn during this time? In short, while I like the things money can buy (houses, cars, clothes, trips, etc.); these things can be gone in an instant. The things that last are faith, family and friends. I know it sounds like a greeting card, but it is true. Oh, one more thing I learned during the time, we seemed to have enough (money and resources) to get by. And were did the "enough" come from? Yes, mom's job and dad's unemployment provided the base, but faith, family and friends chipped in as well. Someone from the church would give me $20 to put gas in the truck and take out my girlfriend, the church paid my way to camp and mission trips (they invested in my faith future) and odd jobs appeared at just the right time (odd is a true description—I even made those can- holding-hard-hat-contraptions that often appear at tail gate events).

Thanksgiving may be filled with unforeseen hardship this year, but look around you and be thankful. Faith, family and friends are what it is all about.

Happy Thanksgiving!