Being Grateful

Wishing everyone, who observes, a Happy Easter and Passover, and Happy Spring to everyone.  On this beautiful day in the mountains,

 

Grand Lake, CO sunrise in the mountains

Grand Lake, CO sunrise in the mountains

 

I am grateful for many things, here a just a few:

  • my life,
  • my wife Anitra,
  • my children, Skye, Cameron, Sierra and Talli
  • my family, brothers and sisters – Clay and Patrick Brooks, Rain, Amber & Teri Parks, Eva Sage, Star & Garrett
  • my Mom Penny
  • my Dad Luke and stepmother Mary Gordon
  • my Grandmothers, Dot Kalehoff and Ruth “Mimi” Wallin
  • my In-laws, John Carr & Janel Seymour
  • other in-laws -  Corinne & Michael O’Flynn, Francis Robinson, Colleen Carr
  • Nieces and nephews: Terra Sage Wallin, Alex, Samantha and Erika Robinson, Conor, Rory, Liam and Aiden O’Flynn
  • Uncle Edd, cousins Max, Rex and Alexis Kalehoff
  • Aunt Marge, cousins Jennifer, Madelyn and Kaley and in the memory of Ariel Ball.
  • Cousins Kim and Lisa
  • The LaCrosse family
  • Our 11 year old Beagle, Louie Loki Wallin
  • And all the other extended family
  • My friends… growing up in Hoboken, Boston, and mainly on Longboat Key,
    • Cornell and Vanderbilt
    • Indy, SKL, Napa, NWS, WSWA, eSkye, Lipman, YPO
  • My extended friends, acquaintances and online network (some of you I feel like I know you better than some family members… kind of strange)
  • My business partners and colleagues
  • All the teachers, coaches and adult leaders who have been there for my kids
  • All the people who helped me along the way in school, Scouts, business and life
  • My health
  • My family’s health
  • The opportunities I have had
  • The opportunities that continue to present themselves to me
  • The mistakes I’ve made and the lessons I’ve learned
  • The chance to make a difference to others and leave the world a better place
  • The ability to choose who I will be each and every day

 

What are you grateful for today?

 

Last night while looking up at the stars on the deck, a mountain lion screamed over and over at Grand Lake, CO…  I wrote this to Anitra to memorialize the feeling in that moment:

 

Night Screams – March 30, 2013

 

The stars so bright in the mountain sky

A moment’s glimpse of ancient history

Amid the melting snow, a strange sound

Over and over, bone chilling screams

We go inside, seeking safety and warmth

The lion of the mountain, her voice so confident,

Rules the night.