Hope all is going well. Hard to believe that we are at the end of November already and Thanksgiving is already upon us. For my non-US readers who are not familiar with the Thanksgiving holiday, it was originally celebrated by the early settlers of the country (Pilgrims) to give thanks for making it through their first year in an environment that brought many challenges and hardships that they were not expecting. They celebrated with their neighbors, the Native peoples in the area, who helped them survive while also teaching them how to live. In many ways, the holiday has remained true to its origins. Many families will gather together to celebrate another year with food and drink while remembering those that were not able to make it. As you get older like I am, you start to understand and truly appreciate the people that have not made it. Some people will celebrate with neighbors and some with strangers, becoming united in the meaning of the holiday, united in a simple way.
I am starting the blog this week asking two basic questions. What are you thankful for and how will you take time to appreciate it? While they seem like simple questions, they are not always easy to answer, especially the second question. As I previously mentioned, life feels like it is in hyperdrive, making it hard to recognize what you should be thankful for or even having time to stop and be grateful. I have found myself really struggling with this as of late. The pressures of keeping the company moving forward has really made enjoying simple wins (like our most recent Gates Foundation grant – thanks to everyone for sharing their kind thoughts!) hard to enjoy for any extended period of time. You begin worrying about the next challenge, the next move, etc., and it doesn’t make even the small successes appreciated. I get aggravated with myself that I have stopped taking a moment to breath and give thanks.
I have been truly blessed in life with so many “things” that to not take a single moment to recognize them is very sad and to some extent selfish. First and foremost, I am thankful to God for always calming the seas and for all that God has brought into my life. I do not know if I am a worthy servant, but God always makes me feel that way. Here are a few other important things that I am thankful for:
I am thankful for my wife Tina (no she didn’t tell me to put this first – this comment was made in remembrance of my late friend Ed who would have surely made this comment). All of the good fortune I have in my life is due to her unconditional love, constant support (even when I don’t make it easy) and unwavering faith in me, even when I don’t have it in myself.
I am thankful for my children Tarryn and Cameron as well as my son-in-law Nate (who is like a second son). They bring constant joy to my life. They continue to navigate their lives with grace and kindness, something I could not be prouder of. I have also had the fortune of being able to work with all three of them at one point. Not many parents can say that. While it puts an added pressure to succeed, there is no better joy than succeeding with them. I also need to mention that I am grateful for our grand puppy Pretzel and grand kitty Lizzie as they light up our lives with unconditional love.
I am thankful for our family and friends. Tina and I have lost both of our parents so your family and friends fill that void. We always say we don’t know what we would do without them. The people on this list would be long and we tell them constantly how important they are in our lives. Their support through the good and bad times is unbelievable, making life a little easier to navigate. These people have been around in our worst times and that is a testament to real friends. I am truly in awe of how many angels we have around us
I (and I speak for Tina as well) am thankful for our BioSurfaces team. We are not able to accomplish all that we have over the past 21.5 years without all of the people, present and past, that have been part of this journey. I have learned something from every one of them, even in times when things were not so rosy. Our team comes to work with a passion that keeps me motivated, even on days where I am not feeling so driven. Thank you for sharing this ride with us.
I am thankful to our investors, our business advisors and customers/partners for believing in our technology. You are the people that have always shown belief in what we are looking to accomplish, have provided me with your guidance and have even put your personal money behind that belief. This is always humbling to us and it is something that we do not ever take lightly as we want to help people while making this a profitable business.
Please take time this week to answer those 2 questions I posed. I hope you form a long list and even take time to thank someone or give yourself some grace to accept these blessings. From Tina, The BioSurfaces team and me, we would like to wish you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Matt
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