This has been a tough year, but I don’t think I’ve ever been more thankful.

At this time last year, my Dad was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer.  The prognosis for this strain of the disease is very bad.  1 year later, after removing part of his lung, numerous rounds of chemo and radiation, he is in remission and almost back to full strength.  We are hoping for the best.

A little over four months ago, we discovered that my wife Nancy is pregnant.  Several months later, we learned that our baby almost certainly has trisomy 18, a chromosomal defect that is “incompatable with life”.  It was devastating.  However, inexplicably (call it a miracle or chance), our baby looks to be developing normally, and subsequent tests have been positive.

The financial markets have melted down around us.  It’s stressful, and we lost a big chunk of our net worth.  But Nancy and I are doing great.  We have jobs we love and are around people who love us.  It’s hard to beat.

I know that the coming year is probably going to be a scary one, and lots of folks are going to go through much worse than what I’ll ever see.  But this Thanksgiving is a really important one for me, and I’m going to enjoy it!