My wife gets gratitude. 

She is phenomenal at thanking people and thinking of people to thank. She wants to make sure to honor and share a moment of gratitude to her friends, her family, those who help her and those who help others. 

She insists that our kids write thank you notes for birthdays and Christmas gifts and encourages me to do the same. She helps our kids to honor and thank teachers, coaches, directors and any other folks who help our kids to have great experiences. 

Tammy has an ongoing journal that lists out people, places, moments and events that she is grateful for, and a quick check of that list always seems to help her refocus on the important things and transition right back into a spirt of gratitude if she ever gets to a point of frustration.

I, on the other hand, have struggled with the same attitude. I feel like I am a fairly thankful person. I thank those who help me. I thank referees for giving up their time to officiate - and especially after I get a close call. I thank those who have given me opportunities in my career and have supported me in both my crazy and conservative endeavors. 

But I do not regularly slow myself down enough to be thankful, and I stink at keeping a journal. So I figure this column might be the perfect place to get out all those thanks that should be a regular part of my life, but here in this month of Thanksgiving need to be shown a bit of love. 

Thanks to the Liberty Lake parks department for keeping the parks in great shape, getting the baseball fields ready to go so my son and I can take some grounders, and having the equipment clean and ready to be climbed on and slid down. Although they are not part of the parks department, I have to throw out thanks to Friends of Pavillion Park for creating a great set of summer events to enjoy in the parks.

Thanks to the Liberty Lake Community Theatre folks who provide quality entertainment in our community, and most importantly give my daughter (who loves a little drama) a place to try new things, take on the personality of different characters and find a place where she is encouraged, embraced, challenged and mentored.

Thanks to teachers and coaches who impact our youth in so many crucial ways. They teach academic and athletic skills, but many times, their impact goes much deeper to the life lessons that are taught when failure occurs, when frustrations boil over or when friendships get damaged. Those lessons help our kids become the type of young men and women we hope for. 

Thanks to the Liberty Lake Farmers Market for providing opportunities to small businesses and local vendors - and some great food and snacks for folks like me who love to eat. It seems like this past year was a bit incomplete for one reason: my family didn't make it down there as often as we normally do. Most sadly, I never picked up a breakfast burrito this year. I may have to eat 10 next year to make up for it.

Thanks to the Liberty Lake Police Department. This has been a rough year for police departments and community relations across the United States, but I am very thankful for a group of men and women who help provide not just a safe community but a community where there are positive interactions and a visible presence.

Thanks to the Fallen Heroes Circuit Course committee for establishing healthy stops all over our community where adults and kids can get a quick workout in while most importantly taking time to honor and remember those men and women who serve our country through the armed forces. It seems like this coming Veterans Day would be a great time to take a jog or walk through the course and whisper a quick thanks at each stop along the way.

Thanks to those who call this place home. I am thankful to live in a community where people wave as you jog or drive by, who support needs by walking dogs, joining races and supporting programs, and a place where folks get involved in making our town better via everything from Fourth of July celebrations or lighting up a reindeer's nose once the Christmas season rolls around.  

This is not an all-encompassing list but simply a start toward becoming a person who is grateful and seeks to see things around him to be thankful for. As we enter this Thanksgiving season, take a few moments to stop into a business, pop into the library, drop in on someone and tell them thanks for the ways they may impact this community.