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Nov. 28, 2024

Giving Thanks: Celebrating Family, Community, and the Spirit of CrossFit

Giving Thanks: Celebrating Family, Community, and the Spirit of CrossFit
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What if Thanksgiving was more than just turkey and pie, but a chance to truly connect with the people who matter most in your life? Today, I invite you to share in a heartfelt message of gratitude that spans generations and celebrates both family and community. From my beloved wife Jennifer and our children, Alexandra, Emily, and Michael, to my large, Italian family that has been a constant source of joy and tradition, my heart is full. I reminisce about the cherished bonds with lifelong friends Rob and Alan, who have been my anchors in the sea of life, and reflect on the power of staying connected, no matter the distance.

Thanksgiving is also a moment to honor nearly two decades of shared dreams and hard work with our CrossFit Pittsburgh family. This community, much like any family, has witnessed growth, change, and the bittersweet departures of dear friends. As we celebrate this day, I urge each of you to pause, truly appreciate the love that surrounds you, and express it without hesitation. Remember, life is fleeting, and every moment counts. So gather with us, count your blessings, and let's kick off this Thanksgiving with gratitude, warmth, and a promise to cherish those we hold dear. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at CrossFit Pittsburgh!

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Transcript
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Good morning and happy Thanksgiving.

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Today is Thursday, november 28th 2024.

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Before the 9 am class rolls in here, I want to take a moment and say my thank yous, express some gratitude this morning, all right, so I hope you don't mind.

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All right, so hope you don't mind.

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First I would like to thank my family, my wife and our children my wife Jennifer, our daughter Alexandra, our daughter Emily and our son Michael.

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There's no measure for how grateful I am to have each and every one of you in my life.

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I'd also like to express my thanks for the family I come from, for the family I was brought up and raised in.

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I came from a large Italian family, extremely proud of that.

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A lot of cousins and then my cousin's children and my cousin's children's children.

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It's wonderful that, no matter how many miles between you, still stay connected.

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Top of that list my parents, my sister and her family, my niece and nephew and my niece's children.

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So it's just this geometry right Just keeps going exponentially and yet, coincidentally, I still stay the same age.

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It's a mathematical anomaly.

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But I'd also like to express my gratitude for the extended family, the ones not directly related by blood, but the ones you choose to have in your life.

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My dear friend, probably in chronological order, rob, who I've known since we were about that big.

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Excuse me, I appreciate you more than you know, brother, moving forward into a little bit more of adulthood, if you will.

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My dear friend, alan, who I've known since my first day at Pensacola Naval Air Station.

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Thank you for always being there, thankful for our CrossFit community.

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Looking at 19-ish years, knocking on the door of 20 as a CrossFit affiliate, been around through every change, all right, didn't try it because it looked cool, and then we want to move on to magenta theory or bar bend or some other kind of funky called medina.

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I'm proud to say we were the first in the space and CrossFit as a community that is, you know, first in the space to weaponize fitness the way we did.

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And we've been here from the start and enjoyed every minute of it.

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All right, it's a great community.

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You know it's like any other organization, any other unit.

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You know people move on for their own reasons and you know that's all well and fine, but but you know, those who stay make it what it is, all right.

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So I'm thankful for that.

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I'm also extremely thankful for the men in that picture behind me, for the ones that are still with us and for the ones that I was privileged to know for only a short period of time.

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All right, think about your boys every day.

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I miss you and you know like I always say save my spot.

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All right, I'll see you when I get there.

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I want to ask every one of you to take a moment today.

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Just kind of curb your impulses, maybe, and give it a minute.

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You know, really appreciate what you've got.

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Be thankful for what you've got, because it can end in a minute.

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Right, it can end like that.

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So be thankful.

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Tell the people you love that you love them.

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All right, you might not get a second chance.

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All right, that's all I've got today.

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Don't want to be morose, if you will, but just want to say happy Thanksgiving Again.

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If I didn't mention it loud enough, our extended CrossFit Pittsburgh family.

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I'm thankful for you.

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All right, so let's come on in here and get busy and then enjoy the weekend.

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Happy Thanksgiving everyone, from all of us at CrossFit Pittsburgh to all of you Out.