Thankful, grateful, blessed

Gratitude is an attitude. Did you ever think about that? Being grateful for the things that you have, or the life that you get to lead is an attitude. We can sit around and mope because there are others out there that have things that we don’t or we can be thankful for what we do have and use them to their full potential. This year has taught me a lot about gratitude and being content. This Thanksgiving my family and I have a few more blessings to count.

We recently celebrated a Friendsgiving with some of our closest friends. Good food, warm conversation and fellowship with one another made the evening all that more special. The fact that we all took time from our busy schedules to sit, relax and enjoy the company of one another made the evening very special. Life has a way of becoming so busy that we forget time together with friends is one of the biggest blessings. Friends are there when you fall on hard times. They are there to help pick you up and get you back on your feet. They show up without being called, and help carry your burdens for you. Outside of family, the bonds of friendship are some of the strongest ties that there are.

One of the biggest challenges of overcoming my accident this summer was replacing my good horse. He suffered an injury during the wreck too that could not be fixed and had to be euthanized. I decided to take the chance and purchase a horse off of a horse sale, and quickly discovered that he was not the horse I thought he was. I was back on the hunt for another pony, and that is what led me to call a friend from back home in Colorado. It’s funny how doors open and shut in your life. The ones that you are supposed to walk through will easily be opened, and the ones you aren’t will quickly slam shut in your face. My friend had a horse, a young gelding that was gentle and honest, the kind that would take care of me following my ordeal. Remember that I said gratitude was an attitude? We can choose to whine about the closed door, or be thankful when another door opens.

Our health is the one thing I think all of us take for granted. When we have good health, we don’t think about sickness. When we are sick or injured however, our only thought is about how we can recover and get back on our feet. Between my wreck, and a medical emergency that happened to my father recently, I have come to learn that nothing is to be taken for granted. Tomorrow is not promised and the support system that you have around you is all that really matters. The rich and the poor are both buried 6 feet in a hole

with the same amount of possessions. It’s best to lead a life that is encouraging to others, one that is genuine and helpful to those around you.

At the end of the day this year has taught me a lot about humility, being thankful and about showing it to others. My family and I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving and honestly there aren’t enough words to express it. So as you all gather with family and friends this holiday, take time to give thanks for all that you have been blessed with. That’s all for this time, keep tabs on your side of the barbed wire and God bless.

Meinzer is a fourth-generation rancher raised on the southeastern plains of Colorado. He and his family live and ranch in Oshkosh, Neb.