I had oral surgery this morning.  My jaw bone was drilled into and two implants were screwed into the bone.  It has made for an uncomfortable day.  And a few more ahead.  But it has allowed me also some time to stop and think.  And I get a chance to think about some of the things that I am grateful for.

I have a beautiful wife.  I was thinking yesterday that I hope my wife finds something that she wants to pursue and she takes ownership and enjoys it.  I was worried that she was not feeling empowered.  When I got home yesterday, I walked in to find that Marcia had started painting the front room.  Awesome.  It made me really happy.  I am not exactly sure why.  I think because I felt like Marcia felt comfortable just doing it.  And I felt great for her.  And I was really appreciative that she had started painting the room.

Marcia wanted to host a dinner at our house next week.  The house is in complete disarray.  But she wanted to host it.  I am so glad that she has something that she wants for herself, and she is doing it.  I love her.

I have kids who are rather conscientious.  They are hard-working.  They are rather athletic.  In some cases, very athletic.  They are kind and sensitive.  They are healthy.  They are smart.  They are developing work ethic.  They are supportive of each other.  They say, “Thank you.”  They respect adults.  I believe they are very good looking kids.

I am grateful that there are a lot of things that we are able to provide for our kids.  We are able to put our oldest girls in private school.  We live in a decent neighborhood.  Our kids all play sports.  Some of our girls are in dance classes.  We go on a vacation each year to the beach.  Last year, we were able to go skiing as a family.

I have two loving parents.  They will do anything for us.  And they do a ton for us and our kids.  I am grateful that we live right down the street from them.

I am grateful that we have taught our kids to say, “Thank you.”  They thank their coaches.  They thank their teachers.

I am grateful that all of our kids have different personalities.  They have different strengths.  They have different challenges.  They have different natural abilities.  They have different desires.

I am grateful for all of the gifts I have had in my life.  I was smart and talented.  And I had rich life experiences along the way.