Giving Thanks

For as much as I love Christmas, Thanksgiving perhaps best reflects the frame of mind I seek most: that of gratitude. Socrates said an unexamined life is not worth living, but if that examination does not lead to a sense of appreciation we also miss something important.

I have often reflected on the two major theories of our origin. One is that life evolved over billions of years, with everything needing to have happened just as it did for you or me to be alive; or, you are a child of God. But what strikes me is that no matter what is true, there is one lesson that applies regardless: our lives are incredibly rare and precious. They are a gift. And for that I am thankful.

I am also thankful for the success of our business and the support of our clients. I am thankful I have been entrusted with the opportunity to make a difference in their lives. None are here because something good has happened to them, but I hope this holiday they can still find much to be thankful for.

I am thankful for friends and family who take more joy in my successes than my failures. And for those who help create a positive environment in a profession that breeds too much hostility.

But above all, I am thankful for my wife and children – the north stars of my life.

Tommy Strow