It's Time to Give Thanks

It’s that time of year to stop and remember and be thankful.

I am thankful to be alive. With all the traveling I do, I always breathe a prayer of thanksgiving when I make it back home and pull in my driveway again. I am fully aware that some are not so fortunate.

I am thankful for my health. I fully recognize that good health is a gift.

I am thankful for a peaceful place to go after I’ve been on the road and a little dog that greets me at the door. There really is no place like home.

I am thankful for a wonderful wife that allows me to live my dream and do what’s in my heart. She allows me to be me and supports me at every turn. What an amazing gift.

I am thankful for my three boys. I had no idea some 27 years ago when we started having babies how proud they would make me one day. They have grown up and have become responsible adults. They are a true gift from God.

I am thankful for my wonderful daughters in law. For so many years I wondered who they would be. Tami and Holly have surpassed my wildest dreams.

I am thankful for another potential daughter in law who my youngest son hangs around all the time. Drew is another answer to prayer and blows me away every time I’m around her.

I am thankful for a little girl named Taylor who is still in her mommy’s tummy. Of all the people in the world, God chose me to be her Papa. Just the thought of that little girl sitting in my lap one day makes me want to cry.

I am thankful for parents who invested their lives in me from the day I was born. There is no way I can even begin to express how thankful I really am for them and how much I appreciate their memory.

I am thankful for two brothers and a sister and their spouses and families. We all love each other and accept each other as we are. I fully realize that many families are not so fortunate.

I am thankful for my two sisters in law and brother in law and their spouses and families. We all love each other and accept each other as we are. I fully realize that many families are not so fortunate.

I am thankful for my mother in law who lives with us and feels at home at our house. It really is an honor to have her around.

I am thankful for old friends I never thought I would see again but have had the opportunity to connect with again. What a blessing.

I am also thankful for the old friends that I never lost touch with all these years.

And I am thankful for the many new friends I have met this year and the new relationships I have established.

I am thankful for a job and a career that stretches me and allows me to use my God given talents and provide for my family. I truly love what I do and I fully recognize that many are not so fortunate.

I am thankful for a boss who has values and always makes decisions based on them and gives me the freedom to do the same.

I am thankful for an experienced assistant who always makes me look much better than I really am.

I am thankful for the guys on my team at work who surround me. They are all smarter than me and I’m not intimidated one bit. They have been the key to my success. And they have also become my friends.

I’m thankful for the opportunities I had this year to stand in front of audiences and make them laugh and maybe cause them to think about some important things. The whole speaking thing is a blessing and I never stop being amazed by it all.

I’m thankful for all you people who are reading this and the fact that you read it. I didn’t even know what a blog was a year ago and now it has become a part of my daily life. The process of writing helps me keep my sanity and causes me to think about things I normally would not think about.

I am thankful for the storms of life I encountered this year. If I there had been no rain, there would have been no growth.

I am thankful for people in my life who I have watched go through their storms with an enormous amount of grace. They have inspired me.

And most importantly, I am thankful for the grace of God. In spite of all my weaknesses, God always proves himself strong. It is the message of the Bible and without a doubt the greatest truth in life.

I am most thankful I know that truth.

Happy Thanksgiving!