I am Thankful
It is always good to sit back and be thankful. I am sooo thankful for the life that God has given me. I have plenty of difficulty and trauma. Yet how could I not be thankful?
It was about 7 years ago when HealthSprout was 5 years old. We had been moving in a fast direction towards success, but with some changes in the insurance laws, some difficulty setting in with the economy, and a changing economic perspective… HealthSprout, at 7 offices, was looking like a bad idea. I was trying to drive the company into a direction of mostly cash collections, and ignoring insurance; primarily because I didn’t like being at the whim of their rules, because their rules don’t allow us to bring health. Secondly, I wanted my company to exude the Christian values that I had, and that was met with great adversity, as I had not grown it with people who all shared my beliefs.
This was a difficult time, and ultimately it ended with people leaving, and with offices losing money. At one point, we had two offices covering the expenses of three others. It was financially painful, and it was also a serious strain on my time. Then my daughter was born. I remember thinking, “didn’t we wait to have kids until we would be at a financially more stable time?” Now I look back, and see our situation, as well as that of so many others, and realize how naive we were to think we would ever be in control of our “situation” at the time that we crossed into child bearing, child raising, or kids off to college. Timing is inevitably not up to you.
It was around this time that I was met with two more challenges, in quick succession. The first was the loss of my eye site. Inevitably, when I write about this in my Daily Sprout, there is always a large number of people who are learning for the first time that I am blind in my left eye. I had played competitive hockey my whole life, and won a college National Championship along the way. A puck on August 3rd, 2006 took care of my left eye, and I have been blind in that eye ever since. Shortly after, the IRS came calling and wanted to hunt through all of my tax returns, HealthSprout, personal… let’s see it all!
My point is that we are all faced with challenges, and so be it. I would love to emulate Paul in my life. Faced with an incredible pile of what would seem insurmountable conflict and controversy, yet he nearly single-handedly spread the church. The greatest corporate expansion in all of history. Why do we have anything in our hearts but thanks? Because the person next to you seems to have it all going just right, and it is difficult for you? I am sure there are some of you who would guess “it all goes easy for Dr. Eric”. I hope this sprout lets you see that it isn’t true, but if you feel like I am an example of one who is always in a good mood, you need to know that it doesn’t come from me. That is the product of being in step with the spirit, and it doesn’t happen everyday.
I do however intentionally give thanks every morning. It is how I start my AM, in my bathroom, in the dark, with only a hint of light coming through from my closet, “thank you, thank you, thank you for my wife, for my practice, for my patients, for my children, thank you for my home, and my faith, thank you that I trust You beyond my belongings, thank you for a desire to do more and be active, thank you for a heart of youthfulness, and thank you for increasing my wisdom each day, thank you for hope and blessings that I cannot understand or know, thank you for friendships that I haven’t even used as true friendships, thank you for love and help me to explore that love.”
I find that in a morning that I DON’T make those intentional decisions to be thankful, I can feel the difference on the way into the office. Working to find a peaceful thought, and a peaceful “rock” to hold onto. When I have those mornings of thankfulness, it all just falls into place. I am happy to be alive, happy to be on the road for the office, and happy to see that first patient looking to have the power turned on. I hope thankfulness, can begin to permeate your morning routine, every day, not just on Thanksgiving.
So where else do we go with this? What next? What in the world should we discuss now that we have every reason in the world to be thankful? I like the idea of going big. You know I don’t like to settle on good enough, as my friend Andy will now say forever, “lets put a 40# pack on it”. So, let’s do that. As you know, I started the Random Acts Of Kindness here in the office. My wife and I found that one of her old college roommates, recently divorced, was also recently moved from the city (NYC), out to the Jersey shore. Her home was obliterated. Everything totaled
Photographs, clothes, furniture, all scarred with sea water, mixed with sewage, now turned to bacterial growth, and time to be thrown away. So we are looking to impact this one family in a big way. You might have other places to serve right now (and if you want local, I will have some great options for you to support Turn Around Kids – more coming soon), but if you are looking for a place to serve. We can use anything to mail to this woman. Decent appliances, kitchenware, clothes for her 1st grade son and her pre-k daughter, certificates for IKEA to buy furniture, whatever.
Our goal, speak THANKFULNESS into her heart at a time when there might seem to be nothing to be thankful for. My wife comments about how I took blindness. “From the first day he began using his injury to inspire people around him to be thankful for everything, including misfortune. And people responded.” I wasn’t nor am I now special in anything other than my attempt to walk in step with the Spirit, and its amazing how that alone will make you smile. I kind of love life. That includes a love of you. We will serve you chiropractically, nutritionally, with exercise, etc… but it is all nothing if not for our efforts to lead your spirit to peace.
Oh, please be thankful for you. And if you can help our friend, please do whatever you can, I appreciate your concerns, and pray that you have an awesome Thanksgiving!
Be Well, and Be Blessed!! – Dr. E