Elizabeth on her Birthday, 2012

I was born five days early.  As a kid, I figured out that if I'd come on schedule, my birthday would sometimes fall on Thanksgiving.  I also figured out that the closest my birthday ever comes to Thanksgiving is two days away.  And this, my friend, is one such year.

Which is apropos, because, last year, I used my birthday to share lessons learned.  This year, I want to give thanks.

I am thankful that I've made it this far.  If you really consider it, there are a lot of reasons you should be dead right now.  (As a population, we are not that good at driving--good enough to ensure our survival, I mean.)  But you're not.  You're here reading this lovely blog post.  So somebody wants you here.  To quote a woman I met in a theater in New York a few days ago, "When my students tell me I'm old, I say, 'It's either this or death.  I choose old.'"  

I am so thankful for my Tulsa community of friends.  Thankful for Seth's kindness, Robert's wit, Tamara's loyalty, Cathy's fun, Cody's vulnerability, and Leann's truth.  Thankful for Kelsey's prayers, Sarah's partnership, Mary Beth's sweetness, and Jan's maternal instinct.  Because of you, I went to New York last week, but had a wandering mind that kept traveling back to Oklahoma.

(Disclaimer: If you are on the list above, know that you mean so much more to me than one word.  I'm a writer.  I need to be brief and witty.  So sue me.  If you are not on the list, I promise it does not mean you are not important to me!  Please don't believe that.  I have been afraid to do a list like this for the very reason that I could hurt people I truly care about. You ARE important to me.  But if I put everyone I care about on this list, then I would be a bad writer.  Please understand.  I must be brief and witty.  So sue me.)

I am thankful that I get to be in the theater.  I love, love, love telling stories with my voice, my body, and my mind and heart and soul.  I love what happens through theater.  And I love taking on the human heart, wearing someone else's for a little bit in order to show that deep down, we are so much alike.  I love how much God talks to me through the theater.

I am thankful for my long-distance friends, some of whom I have given so much of my heart to that we are more like siblings than friends.  You know who you are, and I love you.  And I treasure you.  

I am thankful for my sister, who is so different from me, and yet knows me so well.  I am glad we are learning each other as adults, glad I get to see her gentle, patient example of mothering, and glad that she is so talented at reading lines!  I love you, Mar Mar.  Love, Biz.

I am so very thankful for my family--my roots, and also my in-laws.  And Mom and Dad, I carry you around with me every day.  I love that I wear you on my nose, see you in my eyes, and share you with my friends, whether or not they ever meet you in person.  When I counsel a friend or lend a listening ear, they have met you, Dad.  When I show my spunk and get all sentimental-like, there you are, Mom.  I have inherited so much from you, but most importantly, because of you, I got introduced to my very best friend forever.  THANK YOU.

I am thankful for my permanent boyfriend, my partner in life, my "top ten friend", my sweet Chris.  You know me better than any other human, and you have access to more of my heart.  Thank you for sticking with me, and for being my adventurous partner in crime!  We have been around the world and back, and I could never have imagined how rich a marriage God would give me.  He knows I love drama, and we've had a life of drama, and I am so, so glad.  You challenge me more than I would have wanted, and more than I would have known to ask for.  You are clever, handsome, devoted, sincere, and such a dreamer.  I love you, sir.  Thank you for making me your woman.

Most of all, and above all, and beyond all, I am thankful to the I Am, the God who sees me, the one who created my inmost being, the lover of my soul, the holy of holies, the best friend I will never deserve, and the God who is better than anything else I know.

This life's for you.