Thankful for Myself

Every Thanksgiving, I used to reflect on gratitude for the people and experiences in my life. My wife’s cute face, my happy marriage, dream job, great friends and amazing family. This year, I’m including myself in the list of people I’m grateful for.

This year, I spoke kindly to myself more often. When facing failure, I frequently choose to forgive myself. When it’s 11pm and I promised the cousin who is managing my social media that I’d write a blog, I’m proud of myself for pushing through the fatigue. But I’m also proud of every time I chose sleep over responsibility.

Feeling bombarded with stories about ordinary Americans perpetrating mass shootings, I’m grateful for all I do to teach love as the antidote for violence. I may not be as good of a minister as I’d like to be, I am grateful for the minister I am.