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Perhaps this is a bit hokey, but it is Thanksgiving.

The Faith - life makes much more sense once one has had some time to learn and accept it.
The Church - while her members are sinful, her preservation of Christ's teaching is invaluable.
Marriage - where the vast majority of us practice love, sacrifice, and service.
My wife - I wouldn't be who I am without her.
Our kids - the result of our love and sacrifice. Dealing with them gives me so many insights as to how God fathers us.
The baby on the way - My heart grows with each one.
Our health and modern medicine - without it Michelle and the boys would be dead. While an appendectomy and caesarian may be common procedures now, without them I would be a widower trying to raise Claire and Abigail.
Extended family - parents, siblings, in-laws, cousins, aunts and uncles - where we first learn about love and sacrifice. Invaluable in the formation of character and virtue.
Friends - and the priceless fellowship they provide.
My work - it provides the means for so many other material blessings.
Our house - the place where our family grows in comfort and safety.
Our security - when you watch the world affairs, you really appreciate the blessing of our peace.
Our vehicles - some say our vehicles have isolated us. I'm grateful that they've allowed us not to live in crowded cities. We can be at schools, stores, churches, gyms, offices, etc. that are miles away with little effort. We can build and maintain friendships without being neighbors.

On a whole different level, there are a bunch of little things I'm thankful for:

Modern conveniences - electricity, modern plumbing, heating and cooling, appliances. If you watch any of the documentaries about what life was like 100 years ago, you realize how easy we have it. If you haven't watched any of the PBS specials (like The 1900 House), watch one of their series to put our lives into perspective.
Telephones - allow us to stay in touch so easily and quickly. Want to meet some friends for lunch? Give 'em a call. Want to share your latest news? Pick up the phone. Again, some say our technology isolates us. I believe it allows us to stay more connected and involved.
Computers, Digital Photography, Internet - like telephones, these three allow us to stay connected with those far away from us. We can meet people we wouldn't otherwise. We can see parts of the world we might not otherwise see. It gives us more avenues to understand and ponder other points of view. The wealth of information we can now find at the tips of our fingers is mind boggling. Search engines like Google never cease to amaze me. News sites, weblogs, Usenet facilitate learning and keep us aware of the larger world around us.
TiVo - watch what you want when you want to. No longer be constrained to watch "what's on now" or feel like you have to be there when it's scheduled. If it aggrevates Ted Turner, tough!
Our fireplace - it brings back so many memories of my childhood on Oak Street.

It's not a comprehensive list -- far from it! I think it's only when we face our Creator that we'll fully appreciate all the many blessings we've received. It will only increase our gratitude and love for Him.

This morning we went to a Thanksgiving Mass at Infant Jesus. It was followed by a gathering in the rectory, as has happened for the past several Thanksgiving Masses. When we got home I took the kids out to the back yard to go sledding down the hill. In the afternoon the girls trimmed a few small ornamental Christmas trees to decorate their bedroom. Michelle prepared a wonderful dinner -- turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sparkling cider. After dinner we relaxed by the fire and watched a little figure skating competition. Claire likes figure skating and it's now that season again. Before the kids went to bed we had a nice dessert of pumpkin pie and brownies. The only thing I was a little bummed about was that last night all the rentals for Men in Black and Ice Age were checked out.