Onward down the path of gratitude I go.
Again, all questions courtesy of Kelsey Torkelson.
14. What in nature inspires me and why?
I don’t know why exactly, but this flock of geese that flew over my house just the other day really caught my attention. I heard them coming before I spotted them, their honking as distinctive a sound as any. I marveled at their not-too-tight V and the directions they were clearly honking out to one another. No idea where they came from, but I knew they were migrating. It was just a beautiful, fleeting moment, one that caught me off guard, one that inspired me in a lot of ways I can’t fully explain, and I still don’t quite know why.
15. What have others done for me for which I’m thankful?
My kids unwittingly make me realize how special every day is. I know I lose my cool with them sometimes (I’m still human, after all), but they teach me so many things each day that I could never fully thank them for everything they have ever taught me about being me, if that makes sense.
16. What is different today than it was a year ago that I’m grateful for?
That’s easy: the baby. She wasn’t here last year. Life was chaotic then, sure, but not six kids chaotic. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
17. What insights and discoveries have I personally gained that I’m thankful for?
I think it’s the incredible impact of patience. I’ll admit that I have a short fuse. I always have. But with age and with more kids, I’ve realized just how important it is to slow down and evaluate before reacting. I still get it wrong (remember that human thing earlier?), but I find myself reflecting and regretting now a whole lot more than I used to. And it has led me to be better. Again, I still mess up a lot. But I know I do better now than I used to.
18. In what ways can I help others today or sometime soon?
I’ll start with my kids today. I started reading Treasure Island to them the other night (I’m a big Robert Louis Stevenson fan, and I hope they will be when we finish), and their attention to the story was captivating. They hung on every word. I want them to appreciate good literature, especially the classics. It’s so important for them.
For others, soon. Christmas time means shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse (one of my favorite charities), the giving tree at our church, food drives, clothing drives, all of the good things that happen at Christmas to help those less fortunate.
19. How have my spiritual beliefs or practices fulfilled me recently?
The Bible in a Year with Father Mike Schmitz is absolutely incredible. It’s my second year doing it, and I’m discovering so many things I didn’t realize the first time. There’s truly no limit to what the Bible has in it. Even the silly things, like Proverbs 24:17, that says, “He who blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing.” I couldn’t help but laugh at that. He who created the sense of humor putting His on full display. And we all need more of that, honestly, but to realize His sense of humor is actually in the Bible is mindblowingly cool.
20. What’s one thing I enjoyed about my job recently?
It’s got to be my ENG II Honors class. Those 15 kids make my day every single day. Getting to know them and teach them over the last two years has honestly been the highlight of my teaching career so far. I was just telling them last week how much I am not looking forward to next year because I don’t teach ENG III, which means I won’t have them next year. And I hate that.
21. Have you had an opportunity to help someone recently? How did you feel about it?
I get to help people every day as a teacher, but recently, one student in particular shared with me that she really wants to start exploring religion a lot more and begin growing more of a relationship with God. She said she really didn’t know how to approach it with her family since they never really talk about anything spiritual. So I gave her some pointers on how to start the conversation with them. She came back and said they were incredibly receptive to how she approached them and even got a family member to agree to take her to church. I felt really good about how that played out, thanks, in large part, to my guidance. But I know it wasn’t really my guidance that did it. Someone above guided me in guiding her.
22. What’s something you’re looking forward to in the future?
Lots of things at the moment. Starting with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. My boys learned all about it at school, and them and my wife are all excited to share what they learned with me. Then Christmas and Christmas break, of course. New Year’s. The NASCAR race at COTA in late February (still need tickets. Christmas gift???). I guess that about covers it for now.
23. What movie, book, blog, or article affected your life for the better recently?
Hmm. This is a really good question, actually. It’s not really a blog or an article, but this post from Texas Country Reporter’s J. B. Sauceda on X really got me thinking:
He really captured what it feels like to be in this age group. He went on to reply to me about how odd it is that it feels like pressure, but that’s absolutely the only way to explain it.
All of that to say, there comes a season in your life where you have to evaluate certain things and take stock of what is what. I am definitely at that stage in my life, and as he pointed out, it’s mentally exhausting. In the current situation I find myself in with my extended family, I find myself repeating the phrase, “I don’t know. I just don’t know,” more and more as I try to decipher how best to deal with some of the situations they have put me in. Situations I didn’t ask to be put in.
I know that’s getting slightly off topic, but I’m thankful for that post because it provided a great lens for me to view this whole period of my life through. It’s comforting to know it’s not just me. And at the end of the day, that’s something we can all be grateful for.
24. Who in your life has survived something difficult and grown from the experience?
Someone incredibly close to me. I won’t divulge the exact who or the details, but what I’ve learned from this person about resilience and not letting adversities from the past define you as a person is invaluable. I hope they know just how inspirational their story is to me.
25. What’s one kind or thoughtful thing someone did for me recently?
My four-year-old, just a few hours before I wrote this, came up to me out of the blue and said, “Daddy, I’m grateful for you.” I think that says it all.
Reflection
As I close out this second part, as I reflect on the last 25 questions I answered, I first want to encourage anyone reading this to answer the questions for yourself. And actually write down the answers. Aside from the catharsis it provided, there’s something incredibly powerful in not only reflecting on things in your life you’re grateful for (even the littlest of things in your life), but also in the writing of them down, either by hand or digitally. Your thoughts and gratitude are worth capturing in writing.
My plan right now is to revisit these questions next Thanksgiving and see how much has changed and how much has stayed the same. That’s the plan, anyway.
Last thing here: don’t ever hesitate to show or speak your gratitude to people who deserve it. If you’re grateful for someone or something they did for you, tell them. It doesn’t have to be grandiose: a text message or phone call would do. But I would encourage you to write it down. Really. Simply write it down. I know stamps are a bit expensive, but postcard stamps are $0.61 right now. Postcards themselves are cheap on Amazon. Buy a box. Send one a week to someone. I guarantee it will make their day.
So, I think that’s all for now. Wait. No.
Ok, real last thing this time, I am grateful for anyone and everyone who read this far. I know you didn’t have to, but you chose to. And for that, you have my eternal gratitude.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and everyone you know and love!
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