The mindset of modern America seems to equate thankfulness with weakness. If you are thankful, you are dependent on something or someone else. You didn't do it by yourself, you had some help. You had to have someone pave the way. You were weak.
I do not agree.
A person wrapped up by themselves make a really small package. If you do it all by yourself, you will only get what your effort can provide. It flies in the face of our love affair with sports. In football, try moving the ball without someone else blocking. In baseball, the individual vs. nine game, the best are successful only 30% of the time. In basketball, five team players usually beat five individual players.
As a high school golfer, I hated the notion of team golf. Might have more to do with being rather unlikeable at the time, but I hated the idea of playing well but losing. I wanted it in my lap, regardless of how my talent level wasn't what I believed it to be. I was the weak link, and I am thankful for those guys who were my teammates now. They helped me discover what I could do if I worked at it.
As a coach, I taught team ahead of individual. We worked on individual skills early in practice and brought everybody together to make a team at the end. I'm thankful I had kids that listened, and parents that bought in with what I was teaching.
I am thankful for living the United States. It is a place where I have to the opportunity to find a team to achieve more than I could on my own. I'm thankful for the opportunity to succed or fail at what I have been called to do. It's not about me, but I have the opportunity. All I want is the opportunity.
I am thankful for the people that served, fought, and died to make this country free. Without their sacrifice, no one gets the opportunity to succed or fail.
I am thankful for family, friends and co-workers who support each other as we try to succed and bounce back from failure.
I encourage you to reflect on what makes you give thanks.
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