106 Things I'm Thankful For

Some might call me an optimist, but I feel that my perspective is simply accurate – Could things be better? Sure. Could things be worse? Most definitely. So, when I take an accurate inventory of my environment and current life situations, I always start by giving thanks for the blessings I’ve received and the people who have positively impacted my life. A couple of years ago, I posted the 52 Things I was thankful for. As life seems to continually be improving, I figure I should be able to double that this year (at least!). Here goes…

I’m Thankful For:

My Lord & Savior Jesus Christ
My Wife – Bonnie
My Daughter – Lexi
Mom & Dad – Rebeca & Tony
Four Older Brothers – Joe, Efren, Antonio, Noel
Four Older Sisters – Irma, Corina, Araseli, Hilda
5 Brother-In-Laws – Bob M., Bob C., Bob G. (Rambo), Moises, Tyler W.
Three Sister-In-Laws – Amy, Patricia, Annalicia
Three Nephews – Meissa, Ruben, Benjamin
Four Nieces – Heidi, Monica, Jessica, Maya
Awesome Parents-In-Law – Nick, Holly, Russ, Clara
Three Grandmas-In-Law – Betty, Joan, Gerry
Brothers of Nu Alpha Kappa
Little Bro Ivan
Amazing Friends Worldwide
U.S. Military Servicemen
Good Health
Job I Love – pTEC
Great Co-Teachers – John, Jeff
2nd Job I Love – BravoDMS
Safe Home
Reliable Car
Comfortable Shoes
Warm Bed
Hot Showers
Bonfires
Failures & Heartbreaks
2nd Chances / Do Overs
Hard Lessons
Apple, Inc – MacbookPro, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Internet – Google, Facebook, Twitter
Big Brothers Big Sisters
6:8 Ministries
DeepStream Ministries
Breath of Life
12×12 Love Project
Buena Vista Sports Academy
Educate BV
Capstone Ministries
BridgePoint Church
Habitat for Humanity
Answered Prayers Cross
Metropolitan Ministries
LoJack – cat
Bailey – dog
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of Religion
Free Market
Right to Vote
Right to Bear Arms
Civil Rights
Women’s Rights
Gay Rights
Teachers – Bonnie, Irma, Nancy, Steve, Daryl, Catherine, Holly, Nick, Russ, Clara…
Police Officers
Firefighters – Rene
Sanitation Workers
Migrant Farm Workers
Service Industry Workers
Public Education
Public Television – PBS
Public Parks
National Parks
Public Beaches
Hiking Trails
Biking Paths
Sunsets
Sports – Basketball, Football, Volleyball, Golf, Running
Nice Roads
Sidewalks
Trees – Palm, Pine, Oak, Maple, Orange, Lime
Reinhart Chiropractic
Hot Wings
Cold Beer
George Washington
Abraham Lincoln
Wright Brothers
Thomas Edison
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Jackie Robinson
Martin Luther King, Jr
Cesar Chavez
Mohandas Gandhi
Barack Obama
Donald Miller – Storyline
Francis Chan – Cornerstone
Pope Francis – Bishop of Rome
Rick Warren – Saddleback
Andy Stanley – North Point
Perry Noble – New Spring
Simon Sinek – Start w/ Why
Chris Coyier – CSS Tricks, CodePen, Shop Talk Show
Carl Smith – Ngen Works
Gary Vaynerchuk – Vayner Media
Tony Robbins – Ultimate Power
Elon Musk – Paypal, Tesla, Solar City, SpaceX, Hyperloop
Nike, Inc – Shoes, Clothes, Hats, Apps
Under Armor Boxer Briefs
Levi’s Jeans – 559, 569
Music – Billy Joel, Santana, Stevie Wonder, Beatles, Eagles, John Mayer,
The Daily Show w/ John Stewart
The Colbert Report
The Office w/ Michael Scott
George Lopez
Chris Rock
An Accurate Life Perspective

I’m sure I could go on… In hindsight, I’m glad to see that this list is made up mostly of people and ideas and only a few material things. I’m so very thankful for all of the people who have invested in me (whether they did it intentionally or not) and I have an intense desire to pay it forward. Here’s to another year of standing on the shoulders of giants and being thankful for their help.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! #GodAlwaysProvides

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