Every day that I come home from work, I open the front door quietly. I take off my shoes and slowly walk up the stairs, knowing that my wife and daughter will most likely be in the living room. My wife knows when I am home, but my daughter doesn’t. I peek around the corner until she notices me standing there. She immediately drops what she is doing and smiles real big. I live for that daily moment.
Since becoming a father, I have learned to appreciate the smaller things in life. The sun shining, the food on the table, the little smiles and the gas in my tank. I am thankful for my family, my country, my career and my belongings. Not very often is it that we stop and think about the less fortunate than ourselves. We always know that we want more, but we don’t ever consider if we had less.
I want everyone to remember to be grateful for everything that they own. To be grateful for their family who might not be there someday. For the soldiers who have, and are, defending our freedom. For the city that they live in, and the necessities available to them.
Every day I can thankfully wake up to a healthy family. I can’t imagine life without my daughter now, but there are thousands of fathers, mothers and families, that have lost theirs. If you have never experienced a loss in your family, be thankful. If you have, you are not alone. There are always reasons to be happy.
Our great city of Chicago provides us with everything we can imagine. Sure, maybe the winter months are a little rough, some politicians are corrupt and our streets are the worst, but I can promise you one thing, we always have access to food, water and electricity. That in itself is something that many other parts of the world cannot say. We have endless career opportunities. People still steal, but if they could be thankful for what they had, maybe the crime wouldn’t be so bad.
Take a minute to stop and think about how much worse your life could be. Take a breath of fresh air and see what is important around you. Appreciate who you are, and who you are to others. It’s much easier than you think.
