Grateful

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie

If you listen to social media and the news, you would think that the last few years have a been a complete disaster. While it has been difficult on many recently, there is a lot I have to be grateful for. I remember growing up hearing about how good we have it in the United States, but we were supposed to feel bad about for some reason. Instead of focusing on the positive side of being grateful, it seemed like we were supposed to have some sort of guilt about it. Too often people and organizations try to make us feel guilty for the things we should feel grateful for. Usually, they have an agenda they are trying to promote. When it comes to being grateful, I have learned that I shouldn’t feel guilty about the gifts God has given me and the opportunities I have.

Here are just a few of the things I am grateful for:

• My faith
• My wife of almost 17 years
• My children
• My job
• My hobbies, photography and writing

This is a small list, but the highlights. Feel free to list a few things you are grateful for in the comments.

You might be thinking when you look at these photos, that you are seeing a waterfall that I had to hike out into the middle of the wilderness to see. Actually, I found this little spot on the side of the road near Gatlinburg, Tennesse. During Christmas break, we shared a cabin with my in-laws. It did rain a little bit while we were there, but the run-off created some beautiful streams that flowed down the mountain. Here are some of the shots I took of it.