Now across America fans from Harry Potter, Star Wars, Star Trek, and The Lord of the Rings are breaking bread together in harmony, belts are loosed a notch or two, shirts are removed from their careful tucking, and dishes pile up for Grandma. Yes folks, it’s Thanksgiving, a day where we all take time to look at all that we have in our lives to be thankful for.<\/p>\n
Personally, I have been touched by this site, and have more than I could ever say to be Thankful for. TheOneRing.net has been a home for me since March of last year, just before our Oscar Party. Since my time at this site began I have been gifted with opportunities and experiences that will forever shape my life. The Oscar Party, for instance, put together by one of the many unsung Hero’s from TheOneRing.net Asfaloth. This was my first experience with this group of wonderful people. Beyond that, I was lucky enough to have met a very wonderful woman at this Oscar Party, whom as of October 10th 2002 I have married. We would have never even met had it not been for this wonderful group of people who put their heart and soul into making this the one source for Tolkien fans on the net.<\/p>\n
Beyond that I want to take some time to acknowledge some of the other wonders that I have witnessed during my short time at TheOneRing. Watching Xoanon and his SpyReporters go to work for hours each day ensuring all of the existing Tolkien news is up to date, or Jincey and her tight knit Ops from Barliman’s who ensure the fans of The Lord of the Rings have a safe and fun place to enjoy their fandom. The Staff of Green Books who dedicate their intellectual know-how into bringing you in-depth looks at J.R.R. Tolkien’s works. Even down to Lewman and the crew from The Bastards have Landed who bring you the latest news on everyone’s favorite Bree Drunk; Peter Jackson. Beyond any of these names I think I am most thankful for Corvar, Calisuri, Arathorn, and Tinuviel who dedicate pain staking hours staring at code and console commands making sure our servers stay running and our web site has automated functions like Polls, Forums, and Contest Pages. This staff of 50+ individuals dedicate their lives to making this THE place for Tolkien fans worldwide, and for all of their efforts, past present and future, I am thankful.<\/p>\n
So as you check your daily news post as to what Orlando Bloom is up to, or what changes may have been made to optimize the story for The Two Towers take a second to be thankful for all of these people who made this all possible, from founders Xoanon, Tehanu, Corvar, and Calisuri down through the Senior Staff and the grunts like me!<\/p>\n