I Receive ALL of Life with Thanksgiving –

I have gratitude for EVERYTHING

that has ever occurred to bring me to this moment.

I give thanks for the joys and the sufferings,

the moments of peace and the flashes of anger,

the compassion and the indifference,

the roar of my courage and the cold sweat of my fear.

I accept gratefully the entirety of my past and my present life.

– Jonathan Lockwood Huie

It takes a very mature person to be thankful for ALL of life, I know I have lots of room for improvement here.

I won’t challenge us all to immediately become thankful for everything, but maybe we could take a step in that direction.

As you think about what you are thankful for this year, challenge yourself to go beyond your usual answers.

Family, friends, faith, home, etc. are all great and worthy of our thanks, but let’s add to the list this year.

Maybe even find a challenge or struggle to be thankful for.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/LjVEsqbefdw

I have a friend who is tall and she’s kind of self conscious about it sometimes and I was talking to her about it the other day and I said to her, you know, you’re tall, and there’s not really anything you can do about it so you might as well own it and be confident about it and I had her listen to this song and when it was over she just looked at me and cracked up (partially because the video is so weird). So to answer the question "What’s wrong with being confident?" Nothing. You are who you are Own it.

Maggie

Maggie has taken to sending me toe tappers to send out and her notes are insightful. This one in particular led to a good discussion at our house.

Where does real confidence come from?

People talk about their confidence being shaken or having lost their confidence.

I’ve come to believe that confidence comes from knowing that God has created us uniquely and with a purpose. When we lean into this purpose and focus on His glory we’re able to operate from a place of confidence.

Make it a great day.

Jake

If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share. – W. Clement Stone

Being thankful is a great place to start because it reminds us that we have something to give.

We weren’t put on this earth to just consume all that we can and be thankful along the way. We were made to give.

If you are thankful for all the love in your life, show it and share it.

If you are lucky enough to have a little extra money, give it away.

If you have some free time, find a place to volunteer.

There are many ways we can share this holiday season.

A great place to start is that list you think of over Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. As you think of what you are thankful for, take a moment to think of a way to share whatever it is you are thinking about.

Our real opportunity to change this place forever lies in our ability to share and give the best of ourselves with others.

What are you going to share?

Make it a great day.

Jake

There are times in the lives of most of us when we would have given all the world to be as we were but yesterday, though that yesterday had passed over us unappreciated and unenjoyed. – William Edward Hartpole Lecky

Gratitude is such a great place to start the day.

We have so much to be thankful for.

So much that if it were to be gone tomorrow, would be wished for with all our heart.

Don’t let today go by without being thankful for all the good in your life.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The undertaking of a new action brings new strength. – Richard L. Evans

New strength sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?

This year sure has sapped the strength from a lot of us.

Undertake some kind of new action to breathe some strength and life into things.

Start taking a walk every day.

Start reading something challenging.

Start praying every day on your way to work.

Start texting your wife a compliment every day.

Start training for that 5k, marathon, walk around the block you’ve been wanting to do for years.

Launch into something new. Feel the strength build up as you gain positive momentum. Lean into the challenge to grow and become more. Become someone better so you can serve more.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” – Dwight Eisenhower

The end of the year is planning time.

The planning process isn’t an easy one and it takes quite a bit of time.

And then, by the end of the first quarter, some important part of the plan has been altered in a major way.

In the end, it is all about the process. It is about stepping back, deciding what is important and clarifying what you plan to do.

The end of the year is a great time to do this personally as well.

Sit down over the holidays and sketch out a plan for next year.

Decide what is important.

Decide what you are going to do.

Decide what you are not going to do.

And then write it down somewhere and revisit it over the course of the year.

(Don’t forget to get your spouse involved if you are married.)

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/zoMYU_nOGNg

Uncle Bill sent me this with a note saying “positive message and jumping rope is fun”>

Can’t argue with that sentiment.

It’s always inspiring to see someone doing something well.

Make it a great day.

Jake

I’m very proud of my heritage and the blood that runs through my veins. I take a lot of strength from that. – Robert Whittaker

Yesterday my dad sent me a few pictures of my grandfather just before he went to Korea in the army and his brother who was a POW in a German camp during WWII. My father in law posted some pictures on FaceBox showing the special veterans’ cemetery where some of Meaghan’s family is buried.

I was reminded of the great heritage in our own little family.

And the grand heritage we all have as Americans.

America isn’t perfect. We have some issues to work on.

We also have a lot to be thankful for and proud of.

We have strength to pull from and build on.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at its testing point. – CS Lewis

Today is Veterans’ Day, a day to remember those who have served our country.

I think of the word courage often when I think of our veterans, and I think CS Lewis describes this virtue perfectly.

Whatever virtue it was that drew out the courage of any particular veteran, they all pursued that virtue at the highest level.

Some served for love of country.

Some served in order to stand up to the bullies of this world.

Some served to impress a girl.

All exhibited courage along the way.

We best honor their courage and sacrifice when we have this same courage at the testing point of virtues.

When we have the courage to love, serve, and sacrifice for our loved ones and for what is true and right in this world, we test our own courage in the face of difficulty.

We certainly have it easier. Our smaller sacrifices give meaning to the sacrifices of those who have served. The sacrifices of those who have served give meaning to our smaller sacrifices.

Have courage as you go about your day. Honor the sacrifices of our veterans by being courageous in pursuing virtue in your life.

Make it a great day.

Jake

All the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action. – James Russell Lowell

Action is the thing. I like changing the words to “loving action” at the end of this quote.

If we are to be a part of making the world a better place we must take loving actions every day.

It starts at home and with those closest to us.

It spreads to our coworkers, clients and vendors.

On and on.

Find something lovely (or loving) to do today.

Make it a great day.

Jake