Gratitude

​That is a tough act to follow. I always heard that you never want to share the stage with cute dogs or cuter kids.
But seeing my daughter dance with the rest of the ECP kids and our footballfriends warms my heart and reminds me why I love being here.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to say something today. Some of you may know that I’m writing an update of the school’s history. I think of the project as a thank-you to the school for all it has done for me – especially since my accident two years ago. But the truth is that very few people will read that story (and I’m generally optimistic), so I’m glad to have the chance to make my gratitude public. It occurred to me that in order to be truly grateful, I need to be aware of all the gifts people have given me. It seems almost impossible to keep 
To be brief, there are a few groups of people I want to thank:

1. First, the Leadership Team led by our new Head of School Thank Armistead Lemon for making this wonderful idea a reality. I love it.
2. Thank you to the parents – like the Bloomfields who helped lead a Go Fund Me that supported me and my family through tough times. Nearly 200 people contributed to that fund.
3. Thank you to the faculty – so many of whom helped feed and support my family – led by Mr. Belderes and Mrs. Jackson.
4. And staff – who have made every aspect of my experience on campus better.
5. Thank you to the students – especially the fearless 15 members of the Herald staff who help keep journalism alive. We’re going to pass out our first issue tomorrow! 

When I’m on campus, people go out their way to help me – holding a door open, helping me get something I cannot reach, or just chatting. I feel so fortunate – and I’m grateful to all of you!

1. Of course, thank you to Abby for being such a great daughter to me and Melissa. And to my wife for being my superhero.

In fact, I read that gratitude is a superpower. It was in a children’s book, so it must be true! Perhaps everyone can take a moment and think of saying thank you to someone who might really need to hear it.