A great time to consider giving thanks

Let me warn you ahead of time, this column might get a little sentimental.

Ever since I was a kid - which was a long time ago - I have loved the time of year from Halloween through New Year's Day - except for the weather, of course.

Halloween is beginning to fade out of the picture, since I get dirty looks from the neighbors when I show up for trick or treat.

But I still enjoy the decorations that my wife puts up and the Halloween themes on the numerous television shows that I watch.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve-Day are also special in their own way, but once Jan. 2 hits, I want 70 degrees and baseball. Of course, I'm living in the wrong state for that.

Thanksgiving is special to me. What's better than family, great food, football and great food (did I say that twice?). Actually, my wife, Kathy would say I have the order mixed up.

If we need a time of the year to officially give thanks - which we shouldn't - a holiday called Thanksgiving would be the time to do it.

My family always hosted Thanksgiving - my mom (Angie) and dad (Marty) - might have been known for their pizza (Marty's in Brookfield), but they knew how to put out a great Thanksgiving Day spread.

Start with a turkey the size of a medicine ball, which gave its life not only for that dinner, but for turkey soup and sandwiches for at least a week.

Potatoes - mashed - and my favorite - sweet potatoes made with sugar, butter, pecans and marshmallows. Cranberry sauce or slices and my mom's dressing made with raisins.

There were some other dishes, but the heart-bursting sweet potatoes and the dressing are what I remember and still love the most.

If I took an extra helping of anything, it was the latter two and that could have been my dessert.

Could have been.

But I know that my mom, wife or now my sister-in-law Diane slaved over dessert - pumpkin pie with whipped cream, chocolate pie, etc. - and I knew I had to have a little of each - I have trouble making decisions - because I didn't want to hurt their feelings.

I always like to think of others first.

Having my immediate family around is huge - my oldest daughter, Jessica, her daughter, Angie, and husband, Jon, my fantasy football and baseball son-in-law.

My daughter, Tina, and her husband, Nick, a fantasy baseball son-in-law, live in Madison, so it's always good to see both of them. My youngest son, Scott, who lives at home, and his girlfriend, Sam, who will both be available this year (sometimes work interferes with family, I know).

The only downer is not having my oldest son, Marty, and his fiancée, Ann, not around since they live in Burbank, Calif. Getting a phone call just isn't the same. But I know they will be coming home for Christmas, so that makes it a little easier to take.

So here's a brief list of what I have to be thankful for.

My health

I always say that without your health, all the other blessings don't matter as much.

I am not the most perfect physical specimen - I have dealt with various challenges the past 10 years - but overall, I have been living without pain after two hip replacements. I still move rather slowly, but I moved rather slowly when I was 12.

My wife

I have been blessed with the most wonderful woman in the world. My wife and I have been married for 36 years and she is the major reason we are working on such a wonderful streak (I'm a sports guy, so I think like that). We have a deal that I die first, since I wouldn't be able to live without her.

She is the most unselfish person I have ever met. She is by far the quietest one in our family, but she is the backbone of the Skibosh household and will always be.

My children

We raised our kids with an open-door policy; it wasn't 'We're the parents and you're not' - unless of course it had to be (insert smiley face here). But we had plenty of 'give-and-take' discussions. We are all better for it.

I am so proud of my kids - Jessica is a project coordinator/warranty specialist for a large office furniture business, Tina is a president of a small company in Madison. Marty is a film editor in Hollywood ('Fear Factor, Wipeout') and Scott will be joining him in the spring.

Listening to the Skiboshes at the dinner table is a contest, with the winner being who speaks the loudest or fastest. The only one listening is my wife.

My friends

I am an only child, so my good friends have always been like 'siblings' to me. In fact, I cared for many of my friends more than some of my relatives growing up. Loyalty is a huge quality for me. It is hard to find a better trait in a person. I also don't want to list my friends and forget one and make them my enemy.

My Job

Once again, if you check with my wife, this wouldn't rank so low on my list, but I am trying to be politically correct.

I have always loved sports and to be 62 years old and still have the privilege of working in the field is an awesome blessing.

I started off as a sports writer, then spent 22 years in media/public relations with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (three years) and the Milwaukee Brewers (19 years), and I am now approaching my 10th year with CNI/NOW.

To be able to work with people who are in the professional Hall of Fame and to be able to work with my high school coaches and athletes gives me a wide scope to draw on over the years.

I think there are a couple reasons I enjoy prep sports. When I went to high school, my dad told me "those will be the best four years of your life." In many ways he was correct. I had a ball in high school. I lettered in football and baseball as a senior (I think they felt bad for me).

I tried wrestling, but since I knew how many lights were on every gym's ceiling in the Braveland Conference I figured I should get out of that sport. I also tried throwing the shot, but two things got me out of that sport.

My best throw was like 24-feet-4 inches with the wind. Now and then the cheerleaders would pick up an errant toss and throw it over my head returning it to me.

My second reason for enjoying high school sports was my kids. All four played high school sports at some level and I enjoyed being involved.

I consider the schools I cover - Brookfield, Wauwatosa and New Berlin - my teams. I'm not saying this is politically correct, but I'm covering teenagers, not the mayor's office.

I have good relationships with my coaches and when an athlete comes up to me and says hello, it makes my day.

I am fortunate to do what I do and I never take it for granted.

If you are still reading this and didn't fall asleep I want to end this with a simple statement.

Happy Thanksgiving.