On this Thankful Thursday, I am grateful for the gifts that Don Gilliland brings to my life. Don is my nephew. He is the son of Joe and the late Joan Gilliland. Joan and my late wife, Liz, were sisters. Don completed his Ph.D. in creative writing at the University of Alabama. He is an extremely creative poet and a gifted flutist. He is a member of the Red River Boys and often plays solos in church. He has published a great many of his poems in various poetry reviews. When Don and my son, Michael, were young they spent many of their summers together either in Tullahoma, Tennessee or Charleston. The two families exchanged prisoners many weekends in Commerce, Georgia. Those were fun days for everyone. Don graduated from Maryville College and the Emory University Law School. He spent several years as a lawyer for the Internal Revenue Service. Don is also a NASCAR fan. How that works in, I don’t really know. Don is a wonderful father to daughter, Charlotte. Charlotte will be off to college in the fall. On this Thankful Thursday, I am grateful for the gifts that Don Gilliland brings to my life.
Thankful Thursday is a day set apart to recognize the gifts that someone brings to our lives and to let her or him know of our gratitude. Develop an attitude of gratitude. Say Something Nice; Be a Lifter. You will be glad that you did.
