RIVERSIDE REFLECTIONS: what i'm thankful for

Ah, I just got finished cleaning the house, doing laundry, and cooking a turkey. The yearly ritual has begun. Cookie dough, pumpkin pie, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey...all the ingredients necessary for a weekend binge resulting in too much food, too much napping, and too much weight gain. Before I become too distracted by the pure sinfulness of my gluttony, I should at least attempt a valient rationalization. It might not make my behavior right, but at least I will feel better about it.

So why all this frivolity? It is Thanksgiving! Which means I am obliged to tell you what I'm thankful for. I thought I'd get it out of the way now because we all know that the party can start once the thanks have been said. Man law? Man law! This year, I am thankful for - drumroll please - FICTION! Now ordinarily I would have given the standards: family, wife, dog, health, world peace, etc., but this year I have made a great new friend. My new friend is fiction. Not fictional, but fiction. You know, the genre.

Fiction is new to me. My analytical mind usually prefers history, or theology. There is nothing better than a little philosophy or ethics to get my mind working overtime. But here recently my mind has been working plenty hard, and I wanted a friend to help me get away. A friend that would disenage my mind and engage my imagination and my emotions. There is nothing better than good fiction to free the mind and to help me wade through weekly sermon writing.

So here's to fiction, man's best friend - well...right after his dog anyway - and to you Little Pete, Camerlengo, Buckbeak and the many great friends I've met. May this year be one full of space adventures, time travels, mystery monsters, and sinister plots...all in the safety of my EZ chair. Well there you have it. I have said my two cents ... now pass the gravy!

PS If any of you want to refer me to some good fiction I'd be abliged. I just finished the Harry Potter series my youth group got me reading, so I am look for something to fill Harry's place. If you have some favorites, please pass them along.