I believe that when I was an infant that a heroic form of surgery was performed upon me that removed a part of my brain to save my life.  And, for that, I am thankful.

I also believe that lacking that part of my brain makes me different.  I seem to always miss ‘the whole picture’ that most of you, whether for good or bad, seem to get.

And further, I believe that the absence of that part of my brain even prevents me from actually mentally realizing that I am different.  This realization, here right now, that I am different, comes not cognitively—that’s not possible, but only through a blind leap into the darkness of my intrepid intuition.

I am thankful for this moment of self-discovery.   I am even more thankful for this fissure in the fabric of soul-space that has allowed me to know and love you so.  And despite my baseline diminishment, faith has gapped the void, and I love you, nonetheless.

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. 

   --Helen Keller