Real Thanks - Really!

Hola!

I'm gonna forgo my usual sarcastic commentary on Thanksgiving this year (well, except maybe for this) in favor of a sincere thanks-giving for the people and things that bless my life.

* First among them, I thank my parents. I know that's supposedly corny and all, but given the perspective of my 43 years, my parents look better and better with each passing year. For all the things they screwed up - and, like any mortal or immortal beings, they screwed stuff up - the gifts with which they invested me far outweigh the fallout of their various missteps. From a resistance to bigotry (kind of amazing when you consider where and when they each grew up) to an instance on honesty and self-reliance, to an overwhelming LOVE for me and my sister, no matter how weird various elements of our lives seemed to them. Phil Brucato, sr. and Audrey Maddox are quality human beings on every level. I have been - and remain - blessed and grateful to call them my parents.

* Only slightly below that, I count my deeply beloved partner damiana_swan, her family (especially violindaine and chinchillagirl), and the many women I love, have loved and who have loved me. In no small measure, I'm thankful for my former wives Wendy and Cathi, as well as my distant sweethearts (Katie, Feral and AllieCat), previous lovers who remain beloved friends (Francesca, Ann, Beth, Hope, Chesh, Ashaya, Diane, Jenn, Jane, Elaine, and many others who might not wish to be named here), and the friends with whom that love remains platonic but no less vital (hello, Sooj, Kitty, Stefani, Tarra, Mia, Moon, Emily, Kate, Sherry, Danielle, Merryn and so many, many others). Dami once said that my true life vocation is not writing, but relationships. That feels accurate to me. I may be a Satyr - proudly so! - but I'm not a womanizer. In my friends and lovers, I experience the Goddess incarnate. Again, that might sound cheesy and I don't care. Anyone who knows me personally knows it's true. To share Love, sexual or otherwise, with someone is to touch Divinity. I cherish that sharing, and cherish even more the people with whom Love is shared.

* I cherish, also, my brothers-in-spirt: men like Mark, Bill, K, John, Ben, Andy, Aron, Jon, Ace, Kevin, Ryan, Bunche, Scott, Jeremey, Nathan, Schottsie, Michael, Todd and again, so many others - who resist the idea that Man is a dominating asshole choking on testosterone fumes. The 21st century needs a new ideal of masculinity, and men who strive to bring loving strength to this new era of ours are precious beyond measure. I'm not ashamed to say I love such men among my friends, and I'm deeply thankful to them for being present. These men are artists, fathers, lovers and friends, craftsmen of an age where "Man" is neither insult or prerogative. Whatever my relationship to them, I'm thankful for guys who are brave enough to be whole, perceptive enough to be visionary, and wise enough to know that vulnerability is the greatest kind of strength.

* I'm also grateful that the Age of the Great White Father is officially OVER as of January 20th. No matter what Barak Obama does (or has done to him) from now on, the mere fact that he was elected rings a close to the age where the White, Straight, Christian Male was the only citizen who truly mattered.(*) Thank everything holy and unholy alike for THAT!

* I also feel, on some level, like a disgusted Providence was lurking behind the spectaculalrly bad luck suffered by the agents of the neocom agenda. It was gratifying to watch this year's cascade of misfortune and stupidity finally wash those assholes down the drain. Sure, they're stubborn and infestating as cockroaches, but the last year has brought about the judgment they have so richly deserved. Hey, guys - maybe you oughtta start wondering where your God really stands with regards to your behavior!

* Oh, yeah - and a big, happy thanks to Keith Oblerman, Henry Rollins, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Sasha Barton Cohen, and the other satirists and commentators who've been calling us so heavily on our shit, especially this past year. * And also to the many folks on my various blogs whom I've never met in person yet who remain precious, helpful and informative to me and mine. (Big shout-outs especially to bradhicks, jblaque, reality_deviant, conulyand .:':.Magic.:':..) Thank you, folks! Virtual or not, I'm glad you're part of my reality.

So yeah - for all the terrible things I could (and will...) complain about, today I want to extend a sincere THANK YOU to people, Divinity, my loved ones, and Creation as a whole. For all that life sucks at times and you inevitably die, it's still one hell of a beautiful ride.

Have a good one, folks.


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* - Sure, Obama is three out of four of these things, but symbolically he stands for a greater, more diverse world where everybody matters... even if we still have to beat that idea into the skulls of certain folks in California, Florida and Arizona!