I decided my first card should be to my mom. We’ve never been big on presents and cards so I am pretty sure she will be surprised to receive it. I thought I’d start with the person most responsible for me being able to be a part of this group or a part of anything for that matter 😉

I am so glad that you have joined the Grow with Gratitude Community. 1) WATCH this short 4 min video... then: 2) Download the Skool app 3) Drop a comment here of where you are from and how you heard about Grow with Gratitude OR The Mr. Thank You Project. BONUS: Then create your first post (write, photo, or video). Document your journey here so we can all learn and grow together. Welcome!

September 21st 2022. Two and a half months earlier, I had just gotten married and moved into a new home and now I was climbing into bed for the night thinking about the next day.... wake up at 4:30, go to gym, daily devotional, meditation time, work, lunch, work, dinner, time with family, repeat... In the early morning hours, I fell out of bed and was struggling to get back up and my new bride was like, "what are you doing, get back into bed". She turned on the light to see that I was trying to pull myself up with my right arm and that the left side of my face didn't look normal. I had complete left side neglect and was incoherent, a sure sign of a massive stroke. ....A 911 call, an ambulance ride and emergency thrombectomy to remove the clot from my brain... that is how September 22nd actually went down... After a couple of days in ICU, I had a pretty miraculous recovery. All motor skills seemingly returned to normal. I didn't walk away unscathed as there have been some lingering emotional/psychological effects, but I am so very fortunate and blessed to simply be here today. Had this happened a few months earlier, most likely I would have been alone in my bed and who knows what the end result would have been. My wife, her quick call, the paramedics, the fact that one of the best medical facilities that actually performs the emergency procedure I needed was within minutes, the doctors, nurses, medical staff, friends, family and God.... the list of things to be thankful for goes on and on and I am not sure I will ever be able to express my gratitude to the extent with which I truly feel it. I just celebrated my 56th birthday and will soon celebrate my 4th anniversary with my lovely bride. September 22nd, 2022 went nothing like I planned but it certainly sparked an awareness within me that gratitude is important but gratitude NOW while the opportunity exists is even more so. Don't let the opportunity to let others know you appreciate them pass by because you never know....

Today I am morning the loss of a family member. It was completely unexpected and way too soon and has left me regretting the cards I didn’t send and the invites I didn’t extend often enough. I took for granted that he would always be in my life and we will chat later.. Now there is no more later. So in honor of him, I am going through my entire list of family and close friends who mean the very world to me and who I often put on the back burner assuming they will always be here and I am writing each and every one of them a note to tell them how much they mean to me. Life is fragile. Tell the ones you care about how much you love them. You never know how much they might need to hear it.

Today I had the honor of speaking to a group of Real Estate professionals in Coos Bay OR. On my way back to Portland for a flight home, I chose the coast route, which added 50 min to the trip, and was worth every second. I’m often working in my office, staring at a screen. Taking the time to enjoy God’s splendor is something I do not take enough time to do. You don’t always have to go across the world to see natural beauty. You just have to be willing to slow down enough to see what’s already always been there. This happened to be one of the greatest views I’ve experienced in my life.