We’re thankful for family and friends

This Thanksgiving, Fayteen and I are thankful for many blessings. Most of all, we are thankful for our families and for friends who have become like family.

Joy is especially thankful to have both of her college-student children home for the holiday.

She’s thankful even though her son, Jay, a senior at the University of Tulsa, is preoccupied with filling out applications for graduate school.

And, she’s thankful even if her daughter, Mary Elizabeth, a graduate student studying animal behavior, can’t spend more than a night or two away from the apartment she shares with Georgie and Lucy, her two trained rats, and her newest animal friend—a mouse named Houdini.

Let me reassure you that this mouse is not your common household pest. It descends from a long line of laboratory mice. Mary Elizabeth explains that it was supposed to be dinner for a snake at the Heard Museum, where she volunteers. However, Houdini escaped from the snake and the cage where the snake lives. Who could bear to feed such a brave creature to another snake?

Not Mary Elizabeth, of course. She has trained dozens of horses at the rescue where she has volunteered for three years, and she was delighted to have the opportunity to rescue and train a brave mouse.

Fayteen is very thankful for her family, too. For her son and daughter-in-law, Ran and Heather, and her three active, bright, beautiful, loving grandchildren—Rance, Roark and Rankin. For her daughter, Ranna, who has bravely battled breast cancer this year. For her husband, Tom, who has provided generous and kind support for her and Ranna. And, also, for her good friend Patti, who has helped her tremendously with her business.

We also are thankful for each other. We have enjoyed talking, working and laughing together to produce these blog posts, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration next year.