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A Thanksgiving Reflection
President's Corner

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessing.” — William Arthur Ward

As we gather with family and friends this week, I want to pause and reflect on something that rests at the very heart of this season: gratitude. It is one of the greatest powers we possess. It steadies us, lifts us, and reminds us—sometimes gently, sometimes profoundly—of just how blessed we truly are.

Thanksgiving isn’t simply a holiday on the calendar. It is a sacred invitation to slow down, breathe deeply, and notice the abundance that is found in our everyday lives: the people who love us, the opportunities before us, the freedoms we enjoy, and the small, quiet blessings that often go unseen. Even in the midst of hard seasons, gratitude has a remarkable way of shifting our perspective. It reveals what is good, what is beautiful, and what is worth holding on to.

As Rotarians, we have even more to be grateful for. We belong to a club that believes in serving and strengthening our community. We live it and that’s awesome! This year, together, we have changed lives in meaningful ways—honoring our heroes , supporting students, and investing our time, resources, and hearts into making Roswell a better place. We are blessed to serve—because not everyone gets that opportunity.

This Thanksgiving, I hope each of you will take a quiet moment to reflect on the blessings in your life and the impact we’ve made together. When we give, we grow. When we serve, we love. And when we love this community the way Roswell Rotary does, we discover a deeper meaning of gratitude.

I recently heard a story, a true story, that made national news because it captured something deeply human. In a small rural school, a teacher asked her students to write down something they were thankful for. Most children wrote what you’d expect: pets, sports, family, or technology. But one little boy wrote just seven words: “I am thankful for my school lunch.” Nothing more. Just the one meal each day he knew he could count on.

When the teacher gently asked him about it, he explained that dinners weren’t always certain, and sometimes that warm tray in the lunchroom was the brightest part of his day. That moment changed her—and everyone who heard the story. It reminds everyone that gratitude often lives in the simplest places…in the things we overlook…in the things someone else might be praying for.

That little boy taught us something profound: thankfulness isn’t measured by abundance—it’s measured by awareness. As Scripture reminds us in Psalms, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name…. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”” Not for some circumstances—but in all circumstances. Even the difficult ones. Even the heartbreaking ones. The season invites us to notice the blessings right in front of us: a warm home, a familiar table, a steady job, laughter in the next room, and the people who show up exactly when we need them. Gratitude, at its core, is rooted not in what we possess—but in the unshakable goodness of God.

Which leads me to write about a more personal matter. This Thanksgiving, that truth carries deeper meaning for me. For the first time in 50 years, I will celebrate without my father—my best friend, my mentor, and the man whose steady love shaped my life. There’s no denying that this year will feel different. He adored Thanksgiving. It was his holiday—full of family, food, laughter, a lot of red wine…and most of all, togetherness. My dad loved family above all else. What an example he set for all of us. Anyone who knew him, knew his love for his family. And what says family more than Thanksgiving.

Last week at the CMA Awards, one of my favorite artists performed the song “Stand By Me.” But he also wrote a song that has carried me through one of the hardest and emotional years of my life. Stephen Wilson Jr. wrote a song about his own father’s passing, describing grief as a “passenger” he carries with him every day—one he never understood until now. His lyrics cut straight to the truth: “Grief is only love that’s got no place to go.” This year, my father’s chair will be empty. But he will not be absent. His love will be felt and his legacy will echo in our hearts.

Not to change the subject, but as I write these words about gratitude amidst loss, I am reminded of a story I recently read about the legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. Toward the end of his life, he was asked what Thanksgiving meant to him. He didn’t talk about championships. He didn’t talk about fame. He didn’t talk about success. Instead, he told a small, quiet story.

One Thanksgiving years earlier, after his wife Nell had passed, Wooden came home from dinner with friends. The house was dark, painfully quiet. Her chair was empty. Her glasses were still on the side table. Everything felt hollow. He sat down on the floor beside her rocking chair — the place she always sat to read — and he cried for the first time in a long time. He said he felt two things at the exact same time: a grief so heavy it stole his breath… and a gratitude so deep it held him together. “I missed her,” he said, “but I thanked God for every year I had with her. You can hold sorrow and gratitude at the same time. In fact, that’s when gratitude means the most.” Every year after that, Wooden spent part of Thanksgiving in the quiet, sitting by that chair. Not to be sad — but to remember. To give thanks for what love gave him, and even for what loss taught him.

Thanksgiving isn’t powerful because everything is perfect. It’s powerful because we choose gratitude even when life isn’t easy…because we remember the people whose chairs are empty…because we give thanks not only for what we have, but for what we ONCE HAD! Wooden reminds us that gratitude is often intertwined with grief — and that the very weight of our sorrow is proof of how deeply we’ve been blessed.

This season, may we all find the courage to sit in our own quiet places…to remember the people who shaped us…and to be grateful — fiercely, fully, honestly — even when our hearts ache a little. Love doesn’t leave us. Influence doesn’t fade. Those who shape us most remain with us—in every act of kindness, in every story retold, in every tradition we keep, and in every moment we gather as a family. Yes, the ache will be real. But so will the gratitude. Gratitude for the 50 years I got to share with him. Gratitude for a family that loves fiercely. Gratitude for health, opportunity, and the simple gifts that make life meaningful.

And gratitude for all of you—the members of Roswell Rotary. Serving as your President has honestly been one of the most surprising honors of my life. I am so thankful for you, this club and the work we are doing. I have often said that “I didn’t know what kind of President of Roswell Rotary I wanted to be before losing Dad, but I can tell you the kind of President I want to be now”….In our 75th year, I believe we are truly living out the very best of what Roswell Rotary can be, and I am grateful for you—today and every day.

SO, as we step into Thanksgiving week, may your Thanksgiving table be filled with joy, laughter, and the people who matter most. And may your heart be filled with thankfulness for the life you have, the memories you hold, and the difference you make every single day.

Thank you for being part of my life, my journey, and a part of OUR family of service that lives a life of “SERVICE ABOVE SELF.”

Sic Vos Non Vobis

Trummie Patrick III

Thank You Roswell Rotary Club