Attitude of Gratitude

Scott Hardie | November 13, 2017
November is a good time to give thanks, so here's taking a moment to appreciate my mother. Today I become exactly as old as she was on the day I was born. 39 is an atypically late age to become a parent, and it must have been so daunting for her to think about how she was going to keep up with me as I got older. She had the energy to chase me around the house laughing when I was a toddler, but as the years went by, but it must have gotten harder and harder. I appreciate everything that she put herself through to raise me in spite of these and other challenges, but of course, how can I be anything other than completely grateful? I am who and where I am today because of her.

What do you find yourself appreciating right now in your life?

Steve West | November 13, 2017
I appreciate my brother the more I reflect upon my adolescence. I wasn't popular in any way during High School, a semi-traumatic time for many of us, and was known primarily for being Dave's little brother. Many were the days that I had no one to turn to for friendship except for him. He never begrudged his time spent with me instead of his other friends and until I blossomed in college, he was one of the few constants in my life. He married shortly after High School so that avenue of companionship became semi-closed for appropriate reasons and it was a major life-altering event for me. During the first few semesters in college, I developed my first serious relationship with a woman, got my first serious job, started an actual career path and got a widening circle of friends. My relationship with my brother didn't hinder or delay those developments but made them possible by learning from his example. I'll always be grateful for his presence in my life.