Giving Thanks To All Of You

Thank you everyone. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your support. Thank you for being a part of my life.

There, that should just about cover it. Can we carve the turkey now?

Going to Park School in Mill Valley as a young child, Thanksgiving was all about turkeys and pilgrims. I hated writing those essays every year about what Thanksgiving meant to me. What was I thankful for? Time off from school and a lot of great homemade food on the table. My father has made the most incredible caramel rolls for special breakfast treats for years. My mother makes sinfully delicious pies and persimmon cookies for dessert. Oh, and the dinner feast … just save me a drumstick!

This year has been difficult, but I am thankful for so much.

Thanks to Dr. Levin and the emergency room team at Marin General Hospital for diagnosing and finding the carcinoid tumor that was threatening my life. Thanks to Dr. Alex Metzger and everyone at the Marin Cancer Institute for helping me get the treatment I need.

Thanks to my wife Tracy, my parents, my brother and my new in-laws for looking after me and for making this such a fun year in between hospital stays.

Thanks to John Cardinale, Steve Page, Diana Brennan, Jen Imbimbo and everyone else at Infineon Raceway for helping Tracy and me realize our perfect wedding. Thanks to Dave Albee for being my best man. Thanks to Brent Ainsworth for capturing the ceremony on video.

Thanks to all my coworkers and everyone in the community for making this a fun first year for Patch in the Twin Cities area.

This could have been a terrible year of fighting cancer, but there was so much happiness that I can't say I regret this year. A honeymoon in Mendocino, comedy shows at the Osher Jewish Community Center, treks to state parks, watching Tracy's cousin Mike perform with his bandmates in Green Day … Tracy and I are packing as much fun into every day as we can.

And, really, if you aren't having fun today, then what will you cherish about yesterday?

I have some friends I cherished who were taken from us far too soon this year and I'd like to remember them at this time of year.

Brian Hamlin, courts reporter and wild personality at The Reporter in Vacaville, lost his fight with cancer early this year. He had the charm of Kris Kringle, but with a cigar in his teeth, a drink in his hand and a drawer full of rubber rats to share with friends.

Jim Capoot, veteran Vallejo police officer and girls basketball coach, died while protecting the community he loved so much. I got to know Jim and his family as I covered his basketball teams during my time as a sports writer in Vallejo, Benicia and Vacaville. He had three wonderful daughters, but he was a father figure to so many more children in the community. Jim was just one of those guys who always made everyone around him feel better with a smile and a kind word. A police uniform can be intimidating, but he showed there's also a heart behind the shield.

Dan Wheldon, Indy 500 winner, was a fan favorite on the IndyCar circuit not just because he was one of the best drivers around, but because he cared about the fans and everyone on the track with him. When he died at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October, even his toughest competitors mourned the passing of family member. I know we'll all remember Dan and we'll take special time out next year to honor his memory when IndyCar comes to Sonoma.

I am thankful I knew them all and I am thankful for the friends I still have.

Thank you all.