Today, I am grateful for hope and change. via /r/gratitude

This morning, I was standing in my backyard playing chase with one of the dogs. It hit me how much has changed over the last 25-30 years. Back then I was married to a physically and emotionally abusive woman. I was deep in debt. I was suffering through significant depression and was not emotionally mature. I had not developed the type of character one would hope for either. Now, here I was all these years later. I was standing in my own backyard. No debt except a few thousand left on my car. I am married to a woman who I love and admire and who inspires me. It’s not a perfect marriage and we have our issues but she’s never even raised a hand toward me. We’ve never called one another a foul name or directly insulted the other. Not to say we’ve never hurt one another nor been critical of the other at times but that’s never led to name-calling, insults or violence. I’ve become closer to the man I would wish to be. Not perfect but headed in the right direction, I think. We have great kids. They are secure and successful in the things they love.

These are the kinds of hopes that kept me going all those years ago. In the deepest days of depression when I’d think of dark things there was always that hope in the back of my mind. That hope of better days and things I’d miss kept me alive many times. Now, here I am. I have the life I dreamed of. Nothing fancy, nothing extravagant-just a simple, secure, happy life with a family I love and who loves me.

I am grateful for hopes for the future and for the changes that made them real. I’m grateful I am here and now.