Tag Archives: Thanksgiving

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What I’m Thankful for – 2022 Edition

People nowadays just think of today as a day for food and football, but it’d behoove all of us to stop and be grateful. The last few months I’ve needed to remind myself of that. There are times it still does seem pointless, but it teaches you humility and, well, gratitude. So, here it goes.

  1. My faith in Jesus Christ.
  2. My family.
  3. My new church.
  4. My previous church (which is now closed).
  5. My apartment.
  6. My podcasts (The Monster Island Film Vault, Henshin Men, The Power Trip).
  7. That I’m a cast member on Power Rangers: The Audio Drama.
  8. My master’s degree.
  9. The jobs I worked this year.
  10. My car.
  11. My collectibles.
  12. My book collection.
  13. My DVD and blu-ray collection.
  14. Moses, the new family cat (he was rescued from a marsh).
  15. My friends.
  16. My gaming consoles.
  17. My phone.
  18. My laptop.
  19. That I got to meet some great celebrities, including Jason David Frank.
  20. My fans and readers.
  21. My websites.
  22. That I got to be a panelist at G-Fest.
  23. That conventions restarted in earnest this year.
  24. Movie theaters.
  25. Comic shops.
Blog

What I’m Thankful for (2019)

Happy Thanksgiving GIF - Thanksgiving Chase Turkey GIFs

I neglected to post my annual “thankfulness” blog last year for Thanksgiving. It wasn’t because I wasn’t thankful; I just forgot to do it. I’m remedying that this year. So, here are 100 things I’m thankful for in 2019.

  1. God the Father
  2. Jesus Christ
  3. The Holy Spirit
  4. My salvation
  5. The Bible
  6. My wonderful family
  7. My two nephews
  8. My amazing friends
  9. My equally amazing writer friends
  10. The Fort Wayne Ballroom Company (FWBC)
  11. My “dance family” at FWBC
  12. That I continue to perform at FWBC’s showcases and other events with wonderful instructors/partners
  13. Ballroom/social dancing
  14. For all the conventions I attended this year
  15. Tatsumaki (my car)
  16. My new church
  17. My gaming consoles and video games
  18. My book collection
  19. My movie collection
  20. My laptop
  21. My music collection
  22. My new podcast, The Monster Island Film Vault
  23. For being a PFW grad student
  24. My graduate teaching assistanceship
  25. My cosplays
  26. That I’m a published author
  27. Hades Publications, which published my first novel and still has me under contract
  28. CreateSpace, which publishes my self-published books
  29. That I have some exciting writing projects in the works
  30. My strong sense of justice
  31. The Fortress of Solitude (my apartment)
  32. My talent for writing
  33. all for One Productions
  34. Volunteering for afO
  35. My YouTube channel
  36. For being part of the team writing at Children of the Wells
  37. That I’m creative
  38. My intellectual mind
  39. My poet’s soul
  40. My warrior’s heart
  41. That I can read
  42. My iPhone 11
  43. That I’m an American
  44. That I’m a Hoosier
  45. Summertime
  46. October (the “sweet spot” of autumn)
  47. Changing seasons
  48. Christian Gamers Guild
  49. Nerd Chapel
  50. Theology Gaming
  51. My sense of humor
  52. Allen County Public Library
  53. The Constitution, which lists my unalienable rights.
  54. My “superpowers” (rarely get sick, my “BS” sense, look much younger than I am, heal fast from injuries).
  55. My health
  56. Netflix
  57. Disney+
  58. My RodeCaster Pro
  59. My knack for photography
  60. Pretzels
  61. Exercising at the gym.
  62. My comic book collection
  63. Chimp’s Comics
  64. B.E. Comics
  65. My board game collection
  66. My nerdiness
  67. The police and their service
  68. The military and their service
  69. My journal(s)
  70. My website (www.NathanJSMarchand.com)
  71. My fandoms
  72. Gen-Con
  73. The family pets
  74. Bookstores
  75. Spaghetti
  76. Highland toffee (the family recipe)
  77. www.Amazon.com
  78. Movie theatres
  79. My college degree
  80. Running water
  81. That I’m tall
  82. That I still have all my hair
  83. Football
  84. (Most of) My coworkers
  85. The generosity of others
  86. The TUFW Alumni and Friends Center
  87. That I attended TUFW
  88. That I moved to Fort Wayne
  89. For living in the countryside
  90. Plumbing
  91. The Internet (though I sometimes wonder if it’s that great…)
  92. My gig with InstaCart
  93. Facebook (again, sometimes I wonder if it’s worthwhile…)
  94. Holidays
  95. Family reconciliation
  96. My intelligence
  97. Arizona Tea Herbal Energy Tonic (cheaper than any energy drink!)
  98. YouTube (though again, it’s merits are often debatable)
  99. Candy
  100. And finally…MORE STAR WARS!

What are you thankful for this year?

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What I’m Thankful for This Year 2016

Happy Thanksgiving, True Believers!

By now you should know this was coming. Every year I list off the many things I’m thankful for. It is, after all, what Thanksgiving is about, right? It’s not just food, family, and football. Admittedly, this holiday season is a bit more melancholy for me what with the death of my Grandma Ruth, but it is my determination to practice the holiday.

So, with that, here’s my list for 2016.

  1. God the Father
  2. Jesus Christ
  3. The Holy Spirit
  4. My salvation
  5. The Bible
  6. My wonderful family
  7. That I’ll soon be an uncle again
  8. That my Grandma was reunited with Grandpa in heaven and is no longer suffering (though I still miss them)
  9. My amazing friends
  10. My equally amazing writer friends
  11. The Fort Wayne Ballroom Company (FWBC)
  12. My “dance family” at FWBC
  13. That I got to perform at FWBC’s showcases and at a charity event with two wonderful instructors/partners
  14. Ballroom/social dancing
  15. For all the conventions I attended this year
  16. My car, which I named Silver Sable (206,000 miles and still going!)
  17. My church
  18. My gaming consoles and video games
  19. My book collection
  20. My movie collection
  21. My laptop
  22. My music collection
  23. My day job
  24. That I’ve paid down my student loan debt by nearly half in almost two years
  25. My cosplays
  26. That I’m a published author
  27. Hades Publications/EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy, which published my first novel and still has me under contract
  28. CreateSpace, which publishes my self-published books
  29. That I published by first short story collection this year: The Worlds of Nathan Marchand
  30. That I’ll have a new novel published in 2017 (more on that later)
  31. My strong sense of justice
  32. The house I live in
  33. My talent for writing
  34. all for One Productions (afO)
  35. Volunteering for afO
  36. My YouTube channel
  37. For being part of the team writing at Children of the Wells
  38. That I’m creative
  39. My intellectual mind
  40. My poet’s soul
  41. My warrior’s heart
  42. That I can read
  43. My iPhone 5S
  44. That I’m an American
  45. That I’m a Hoosier
  46. Summertime
  47. October (the “sweet spot” of autumn)
  48. Changing seasons
  49. Christian Gamers Guild
  50. GameChurch
  51. Theology Gaming
  52. My sense of humor
  53. The North Webster Community Public Library
  54. The Constitution, which lists my inalienable rights.
  55. My “superpowers” (rarely get sick, my “BS” sense, look much younger than I am, heal fast from injuries).
  56. My health
  57. Netflix
  58. That I got to meet some awesome celebrities this year (Brent Spiner, Ian McDiarmid, Ray Park, etc.)
  59. My camera
  60. My knack for photography
  61. Pretzels
  62. Exercising at the gym.
  63. My comic book collection
  64. Chimp’s Comics
  65. B.E. Comics
  66. My board game collection
  67. My nerdiness
  68. The police and their service
  69. The military and their service
  70. My journal(s)
  71. My website (NathanJSMarchand.com)
  72. My fandoms
  73. Gen-Con
  74. The family pets
  75. Bookstores
  76. Spaghetti
  77. Highland toffee (the family recipe)
  78. Amazon.com
  79. Movie theatres
  80. My college degree
  81. Running water
  82. That I’m tall
  83. That I still have all my hair
  84. Football
  85. That I got to play kickball with great co-workers/friends
  86. (Most of) My coworkers
  87. The generosity of others
  88. The TUFW Alumni and Friends Center
  89. That I attended TUFW
  90. The YMCA
  91. For living in the countryside
  92. Plumbing
  93. The Internet
  94. That I somehow won the “fantasy bowl” when I tried fantasy football for the first time (beginner’s luck?)
  95. That I’m on the verge of starting my own podcast
  96. My big tax refund
  97. Facebook
  98. The freelance writing gigs I had this year
  99. Holidays
  100. And lastly…THAT THE ELECTION IS FINALLY OVER!

What are you thankful for this year?

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100 Things I’m Thankful for in 2015

Happy Thanksgiving, True Believers!

As is my annual holiday tradition, here’s my list of what I’m thankful for this year (it’s kinda what the holiday is about, right?). It’s a great exercise not only to keep one humble but also to remind oneself of what he has instead of focusing on what you lack. It’s a great way to keep perspective.

So, without further adieu and in no particular order (except the first few)…

  1. God the Father, for His unfailing love and faithfulness.
  2. Jesus Christ, Whose death and resurrection saved mankind.
  3. The Holy Spirit, Who guides me everyday.
  4. My salvation.
  5. The Bible.
  6. My wonderful family.
  7. That I’m an uncle.
  8. My nephew, Landis.
  9. My amazing friends.
  10. My equally amazing writer friends.
  11. For all the conventions I attended this year.
  12. My car, which I named Silver Sable.
  13. My church.
  14. For volunteering with RemedyLive.
  15. All my gaming consoles and video games.
  16. My book collection.
  17. My movie collection.
  18. My “new” laptop.
  19. My music collection.
  20. My day job.
  21. That I’ve paid down my student loans almost $2,500 since February.
  22. My cosplays.
  23. That I’m a published author.
  24. Hades Publications, which published my first novel and still has me under contract.
  25. CreateSpace, which publishes my self-published books.
  26. That I published two new books this year (Ninjas and Talking Trees & 42: Discovering Faith Through Fandom)
  27. My strong sense of justice.
  28. The house I live in.
  29. My talent for writing.
  30. all for One Productions.
  31. Volunteering for afO (see #25).
  32. My YouTube show, “But I Digress…”.
  33. For being part of the team writing Children of the Wells.
  34. For writing for www.Examiner.com.
  35. For writing for www.GigaGeekMagazine.com.
  36. That I joined Twitter.
  37. That I was able to pitch a book to a publisher on Twitter.
  38. For all the podcasts I’ve been on this year.
  39. That I’m creative.
  40. My intellectual mind.
  41. My poet’s soul.
  42. My warrior’s heart.
  43. That I can read.
  44. My “new” iPhone 5S.
  45. That I’m an American.
  46. That I’m a Hoosier.
  47. Summertime.
  48. October (wonderful month!)
  49. Changing seasons.
  50. Fans For Christ.
  51. Christian Gamers Guild.
  52. GameChurch.
  53. My “famous” T-shirt collection.
  54. My sense of humor.
  55. Puns.
  56. The Constitution, which lists my inalienable rights.
  57. My “superpowers” (rarely get sick, my “BS” sense, look much younger than I am, heal fast from injuries).
  58. My health.
  59. Netflix.
  60. That I got to meet some awesome celebrities this year (Jenna Coleman, Carey Fischer, Sophie Aldrich, Summer Glau, Marina Sirtis, John de Lancie, etc.)
  61. My camera.
  62. My knack for photography.
  63. Pretzels.
  64. Exercising at the gym.
  65. My TARDIS cookie jar.
  66. Freelance Writers Den.
  67. My comic book collection.
  68. Chimp’s Comics.
  69. B.E. Comics.
  70. My board game collection.
  71. My nerdiness.
  72. The police and their service.
  73. The military and their service.
  74. My journal(s).
  75. My website (www.NathanJSMarchand.com).
  76. My fandoms.
  77. Gen-Con.
  78. The family pets (6 cats a dog).
  79. Barnes and Noble.
  80. Spaghetti.
  81. Highland toffee (the family recipe)
  82. www.Amazon.com.
  83. Movie theatres.
  84. My college degree.
  85. Running water.
  86. That I’m tall.
  87. That I still have all my hair.
  88. Football.
  89. That I got to play softball with great co-workers/friends.
  90. (Most of) My coworkers.
  91. The generosity of others.
  92. The TUFW Alumni and Friends Center.
  93. That I attended TUFW.
  94. The YMCA.
  95. For living in the countryside.
  96. Plumbing.
  97. The Internet.
  98. Ballroom/social dancing.
  99. Dance Tonight and its magnificent staff.
  100. And finally…that there’s a new Star Wars film!!! 😀

What are you thankful for this year?

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What I’m Thankful For (2014)

Thanksgiving-funny

Thanksgiving is often the forgotten holiday. It’s mainly seen as a day of gluttony and football. It’s meant to be a time to reflect on what one is grateful for having (and hopefully not being a hypocrite the next day for Black Weekend, er, Friday).

So as is my tradition, here are what I’m thankful for this year.

What are you thankful for?

  1. Jesus Christ, who died for me and saved me.
  2. The Bible.
  3. My wonderful family (Mom, Dad, Josiah, Jarod, Sarah).
  4. My amazing grandmother, Ruth, who is in her 90s and still going.
  5. My fellow Children of the Wells creators (Nick, Natasha, Tim, John, Greg, etc.)
  6. My many writer friends (you know who you are).
  7. Pastor Steve, for mentoring me for three years.
  8. Silver Sable (my car).
  9. My day job.
  10. My awesome co-workers
  11. My multiple circles of friends. I love you all!
  12. My cosplays.
  13. Being 25,000 words deep into Hope’s War.
  14. Self-publishing Destroyer (Deluxe Edition).
  15. For being on three podcasts this year: “Strangers and Aliens,” “Theology Gaming University,” and “Derailed Trains of Thought.”
  16. My YouTube show, “But I Digress…”
  17. My laptop (despite its many issues).
  18. My iPhone 4S.
  19. That I can read.
  20. That I’m an American.
  21. That I’m a Hoosier.
  22. That the Megas finally released a new album.
  23. Grand Rapids Original Swing Society.
  24. Dance Tonight Fort Wayne.
  25. That I got my foot in the door to take grad school classes at IPFW.
  26. Freelance Writers’ Den.
  27. That I will soon be an uncle.
  28. Comic books
  29. Comic shops (B.E. Comics; Chimp’s Comics; Books, Comics and Things, etc.)
  30. Fans For Christ, GameChurch, and Christian Gamers Guild (among other nerd/geek outreach ministries).
  31. The amazing year of movies I’ve seen.
  32. My PS3.
  33. My movie collection.
  34. My book collection.
  35. That I’m a TUFW grad.
  36. My church.
  37. Gen-Con.
  38. That I got to meet amazing celebrities at conventions this year.
  39. That I’m creative.
  40. That I’m a nerd.
  41. Summer.
  42. Lower gas prices.
  43. That I was a groomsman in a friend’s Halloween wedding (as the Doctor). 😉
  44. My music collection.
  45. My video game collection.
  46. Volunteering with RemedyLive and afO.
  47. The Internet.
  48. Libraries.
  49. That I survived Fight Club (a church men’s group).
  50. This (so epic!):

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What I’m Thankful for (2013)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, TRUE BELIEVERS!

As I do every year, I try to make the holiday about more than turkeys and football. I take the time to remember what I am thankful for, when I probably take them for granted during the rest of the year. Holidays have a way of reminding you that the attitude it emphasizes should be practiced all the year. Thankfulness is especially important to me since life has been tough for me (something I try not to talk about much here) the last few years. I’m happy to report, though, that things seem to be slowly improving.

So, without further ado, here’s my updated list of things I’m thankful for.

1. God the Father (Abba)

2. Jesus Christ, God made flesh

3. The Holy Spirit, my counselor

4. My salvation

5. The Bible

6. My wonderful family (Mom, Dad, Josiah, Jarod, and Sarah)

7. Grandma Ruth, who’s still with us at age 91

8. That I’m an American

9. That I’m a published author

10. God’s providence

11. My talents

12. My spiritual gifts

13. My college degree

14. That I’m a TUFW alum

15. I’m intelligent

16. Running water

17.  I can read

18.  My new car, Silver Sable

19.  My church

20. My iPhone 4S

21.  My many friends (you know who you are)

22. My pastors

23. My creativity

24. My job (I may not enjoy it, but in this economy, it’s appreciated)

25. My freelance writing gigs

26. That I almost never get sick

27. Our pets

28. That I’m a nerd

29. My movie, book, music, and video game collections

30. Our house

                31.  Electricity

32. The seasons

33. That I live in Indiana

34. My driver’s license

35. That I volunteer with RemedyLive

36. My laptop

37. That I’ve been able to do some fun traveling this year

38. My cosplay costumes

39. My vlog

40. The new friends I’ve made this year

41. The internet

42. That I took the GRE and scored well

43. Swing dancing and the Grand Rapids Original Swing Society

44. Indianapolis Colts

45. Fans for Christ, GameChurch, and Christian Gamers Guild

46. My clothes (and many nerdy T-shirts)

47. Gen-Con

48. My camera

49. The works of C.S. Lewis

50. And 50 years of Doctor Who!

What are you thankful for?

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What I’m Thankful For (2012)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Today is Thanksgiving, and traditionally people reflect on the blessings in their life and express gratitude for them. Admittedly, it’s been a very difficult year for me (I will spare you the details), and so it’s hard for me to be thankful today when I think I could be doing better than I am.

Regardless, I was reminded of how I tried to list as many of God’s blessings in my life earlier this year. I had heard a sermon about a woman who managed to list 1,001 for herself. I only made it to 80 before I quit. I probably could’ve listed more.

What follows is a condensed version of that list:

  1. God the Father (Abba)
  2. Jesus Christ, God made flesh
  3. The Holy Spirit, my counselor
  4. My salvation
  5. The Bible
  6. My wonderful family (Mom, Dad, Josiah, Jarod, and Sarah)
  7. Grandma Ruth, who’s still with us at age 90
  8. That I’m an American
  9. That I’m a published author
  10. God’s providence
  11. My talents

12. My spiritual gifts

13. My college degree

14. That I’m a TUFW alum

15. I’m intelligent

16. Running water

17.  I can read

18.  My car, which still runs with 200,000+ miles

19.  My church

20. My iPhone

  1. 21.  My many friends (you know who you are)

22. My pastors

23. My creativity

24. My jobs

25. My freelance writing gigs

26. That I almost never get sick

27. Our pets

28. That I’m a nerd

29. My movie, book, and video game collections

30. Our house

31.  Electricity

32. The seasons

33. That I live in Indiana

34. My driver’s license

35. That I volunteer with RemedyLive

What are you thankful for this year?