My sister-in-law Romina is on her first boat ride. Ever. They are cruising along the lake about 35 miles per hour and the water starts to get rough. They crash against one wave, then another. As she sits in the bow of the boat she slams down against the railing and shatters her L1 vertebrae. Life changes for her in a minute.

After a very intense surgery where they removed a few ribs and reconstruct her with rod and wire she is doing better. She can walk but needs constant care so she has moved in with my family so that we can take care of her and get her back to her normal self. My wife Bridget stays home to care for our family so we are fortunate that she can now ad her sister to the group that she looks after. Thank God for my wife, she is a rock star.

All of this to remind you to take some inventory today. Be thankful for all that you have and whatever you do, don’t take your health for granted. The fact that you can walk, take a shower by yourself, tie your shoes, and enjoy a day outside is a BIG DEAL. Don’t believe me, ask someone who can’t.  Make sure that you are caring for your friends and family because you never know when you are going to need to depend on them and if they need you, be the first to offer help because even though it will disrupt your life for a while, what you get back is well worth it. Romina is doing great, our relationship with her is deeper than it has ever been, and she is going to make a full recovery.

Every night my kids and I pray in thanksgiving for each other and the blessings in our life. I hope you are doing the same. I am grateful that I am grateful.

PS ….To my wife…it is impossible to put into words how I feel about you but watching you give up your life to make sure that your sister is doing well just affirms why I fell in love with you to begin with. I am so glad that our kids have you to learn from.