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:

  1. My Lord & Savior Jesus Christ
  2. My Wife – Bonnie
  3. My Daughter – Lexi
  4. Mom & Dad – Rebeca & Tony
  5. Four Older Brothers – Joe, Efren, Antonio, Noel
  6. Four Older Sisters – Irma, Corina, Araseli, Hilda
  7. 5 Brother-In-Laws – Bob M., Bob C., Bob G. (Rambo), Moises, Tyler W.
  8. Three Sister-In-Laws – Amy, Patricia, Annalicia
  9. Three Nephews – Meissa, Ruben, Benjamin
  10. Four Nieces – Heidi, Monica, Jessica, Maya
  11. Awesome Parents-In-Law – Nick, Holly, Russ, Clara
  12. Three Grandmas-In-Law – Betty, Joan, Gerry
  13. Brothers of Nu Alpha Kappa
  14. Little Bro Ivan
  15. Amazing Friends Worldwide
  16. U.S. Military Servicemen
  17. Good Health
  18. Job I Love – pTEC
  19. Great Co-Teachers – John, Jeff
  20. 2nd Job I Love – BravoDMS
  21. Safe Home
  22. Reliable Car
  23. Comfortable Shoes
  24. Warm Bed
  25. Hot Showers
  26. Bonfires
  27. Failures & Heartbreaks
  28. 2nd Chances / Do Overs
  29. Hard Lessons
  30. Apple, Inc – MacbookPro, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV
  31. Internet – Google, Facebook, Twitter
  32. Big Brothers Big Sisters
  33. 6:8 Ministries
  34. DeepStream Ministries
  35. Breath of Life
  36. 12×12 Love Project
  37. Buena Vista Sports Academy
  38. Educate BV
  39. Capstone Ministries
  40. BridgePoint Church
  41. Habitat for Humanity
  42. Answered Prayers Cross
  43. Metropolitan Ministries
  44. LoJack – cat
  45. Bailey – dog
  46. Freedom of Speech
  47. Freedom of Religion
  48. Free Market
  49. Right to Vote
  50. Right to Bear Arms
  51. Civil Rights
  52. Women’s Rights
  53. Gay Rights
  54. Teachers – Bonnie, Irma, Nancy, Steve, Daryl, Catherine,  Holly, Nick, Russ, Clara…
  55. Police Officers
  56. Firefighters – Rene
  57. Sanitation Workers
  58. Migrant Farm Workers
  59. Service Industry Workers
  60. Public Education
  61. Public Television – PBS
  62. Public Parks
  63. National Parks
  64. Public Beaches
  65. Hiking Trails
  66. Biking Paths
  67. Sunsets
  68. Sports – Basketball, Football, Volleyball, Golf, Running
  69. Nice Roads
  70. Sidewalks
  71. Trees – Palm, Pine, Oak, Maple, Orange, Lime
  72. Reinhart Chiropractic
  73. Hot Wings
  74. Cold Beer
  75. George Washington
  76. Abraham Lincoln
  77. Wright Brothers
  78. Thomas Edison
  79. Franklin D. Roosevelt
  80. Jackie Robinson
  81. Martin Luther King, Jr
  82. Cesar Chavez
  83. Mohandas Gandhi
  84. Barack Obama
  85. Donald Miller – Storyline
  86. Francis Chan – Cornerstone
  87. Pope Francis – Bishop of Rome
  88. Rick Warren – Saddleback
  89. Andy Stanley – North Point
  90. Perry Noble – New Spring
  91. Simon Sinek – Start w/ Why
  92. Chris Coyier – CSS Tricks, CodePen, Shop Talk Show
  93. Carl Smith – Ngen Works
  94. Gary Vaynerchuk – Vayner Media
  95. Tony Robbins – Ultimate Power
  96. Elon Musk – Paypal, Tesla, Solar City, SpaceX, Hyperloop
  97. Nike, Inc – Shoes, Clothes, Hats, Apps
  98. Under Armor Boxer Briefs
  99. Levi’s Jeans – 559, 569
  100. Music – Billy Joel, Santana, Stevie Wonder, Beatles, Eagles, John Mayer,
  101. The Daily Show w/ John Stewart
  102. The Colbert Report
  103. The Office w/ Michael Scott
  104. George Lopez
  105. Chris Rock
  106. 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