Bring Back Big Families

Part 1

Today is all about gratitude. Fitting with Thanksgiving just a few days out. And the one year anniversary of this blog coming up. Time to reflect and be grateful is never time wasted.

All questions courtesy of Kelsey Torkelson.

1. What abilities do I have that I’m grateful for?

I am very grateful for my writing abilities. It hasn’t amounted to much yet, but I like to think I’ve got some writing chops. Five traditional publications (four short stories and a sonnet) aren’t bad.

2. What life experiences (good or bad) have I had that I’m grateful for?

The good: having six kids. I brag about it a lot. I always tell people I only have six kids. They always reply, “ONLY?” Not many people can say that, so I do it proudly.

The bad: watching and hearing my parents argue virtually everyday. As much as I hated it, it prepared me for my own marriage where I will do anything to make sure that doesn’t happen to my kids.

3. What material possessions am I thankful for?

I don’t even know where to start with this. So, I’ll go for a few, in no particular order. My Lego collection, my baseball card collection, my tools, my car, and my Po Man grill.

4. What about my surroundings (home/neighborhood/city, etc.) am I thankful for?

I love that my home is so close to everything I need. My neighborhood is a cul-de-sac with 12 homes. My kids have their own street to play in with very few vehicles traveling it. It’s rather amazing.

5. What made me laugh or smile recently?

Just this morning, while my wife took our oldest two to the movies, the youngest four were with me playing outside. I snapped a picture of all four of them together on the swings. Their smiles… yeah. That’s what it’s all about.

6. How am I fortunate?

I am fortunate to live in the in a country and a state that lets me build the exact kind of life o want to with my wife and kids.

7. Who do I appreciate? Why?

My wife. I can’t even begin to list the reasons why I am grateful for her. She has brought so much goodness into my life. She made me a husband. She made me a dad. I would be nothing without her.

8. What is something fun I get to do later?

I get to smoke a turkey on my Po Man grill tomorrow. I can already taste it.

9. What’s something I’ve learned recently that has improved my life?

I would say how to use AI to streamline some of the more menial tasks of teaching. I let it do things that take too much time (like creating grading rubrics and drafting exit tickets) so that I have more time and energy to focus on directly working with my students.

10. What happened today/this week/this month/this year for which I’m grateful?

Today: lunch.

This week: mass yesterday was pretty awesome.

This month: Texas Month BBQ Fest.

This year: baby 6 in May.

11. What activities (hobbies, events, etc.) am I grateful for?

Baseball games and races come to mind first. I love attending them both so much. I also enjoyed my sons’ Thanksgiving parade at school recently. Hobbies would be Legos. I’m super obsessed with them right now.

12. How can I be thankful for the challenges I’ve experienced in my life? What did I learn from them?

Oh boy. This is a tough one for me. I guess the best way to answer this is to say they have all made me the man I am today. I know they weren’t fun in the moment, but looking back, I know I wouldn’t be who or what I am today without those challenges. They all taught me how to not take things so seriously and to just be cool, for lack of a better term. I don’t know how else to put it.

13. What’s an opportunity I’m thankful for?

I am thankful for the opportunity to write about my life. I know a lot of people don’t read it, but I enjoy throughly telling my story little by little.

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for Part 2…