Our parents are our first teachers and as such have the potential to have the greatest impact on our lives as children and probably most importantly as adults – even well after they have physically left us. I am especially grateful for life’s lessons that I learned from my parents in shaping the person I am. These lessons were not taught through lengthy conversations over the dinner table or through bedtime stories. Living on a farm with six children didn’t afford us the luxury of spending such ‘quality’ time with our parents. However, it was the lessons of integrity, loyalty, honesty, faith, commitment, will power and most importantly unconditional love through the most adverse situations that shaped the person that I have become and continue to be…

My mother’s eyes always lit up when I walked into a room. She left a tiny village in Ireland at 18, went to England to train as a nurse and then Scotland to become a midwife. She delivered hundreds of babies in farmhouses around Glasgow with no machines or phones in sight. She never lost a mother or a baby.
She gave me more confidence than I deserved growing up. Made me believe in myself beyond reason.
She let me take piles of books out of the library as a child and always packed me a brown bag lunch. She often came home from her own nursing shift with her lunch in hand, never having a moment for a break while new moms and babies needed her…

I’m super grateful my fiancé and soon to be wife Allison. We are getting married in March and I look back and think of how lucky I am to have met her. We met through total chance and because of that it has now changed my life. I get to come home every day, after a long day at work to someone I love, have a chance to laugh with and am excited to share our evening together. I can’t imagine a world without her and I am grateful for everything she has done for me. She has been the biggest supporter of my stand-up comedy career. Despite it being an evening event, she always comes to all my shows and supports me with laughter regardless of the quality of the show! She is my biggest hype person and cheerleader and I love her for that!

I’m Dillon, and if there’s one thing life has taught me, it’s to be grateful for the things we often overlook. A few years ago, I was working long hours, chasing a promotion, and constantly stressed. One morning, I woke up in the hospital after collapsing at work. The doctor told me I’d narrowly avoided a more serious health crisis, and it was a wake-up call I desperately needed. During my recovery, my mom moved in with me for a few weeks to help out, and my friends showed up every day with meals, laughter, and support. It hit me then—I had so many people who cared about me, but I’d been too busy to notice. That experience shifted my entire perspective. Now, I focus on staying healthy, cherishing my relationships, and appreciating life’s simple joys. Gratitude taught me to slow down and truly live.

My name is Nathan, and gratitude is something I hold close to my heart because of a lesson life taught me the hard way. A few years ago, I was in a car accident that could have ended much worse than it did. I walked away with just a few scratches, but the experience left me shaken. It wasn’t until I saw the worried faces of my family and friends in the hospital waiting room that it hit me—how much I had taken for granted. I’d been so focused on chasing success and staying busy that I forgot to appreciate the people who loved me unconditionally. That moment changed everything. Now, I make sure to tell my family how much they mean to me, and I try to savor the little moments—whether it’s a quiet dinner or just laughing with my friends. Gratitude, for me, is about never letting the important things in life go unnoticed again.

I’m Linda, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s the power of gratitude. Years ago, when everything seemed to be falling apart—I’d lost my job, my savings were dwindling, and I felt completely lost—I had a moment that changed me forever. I was sitting in the park, overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next, when an older gentleman I’d never met sat down beside me. He didn’t say much, just handed me a sandwich with a kind smile and said, “You’ll get through this.” That simple act of kindness made me realize I wasn’t alone and that even small gestures could carry enormous weight. Since then, I’ve made it my mission to give back, to see the good in others, and to be the kind of person who shows up for someone in need. Gratitude, I’ve found, has a way of turning even the hardest times into lessons worth learning.

I’m Chelsea, and my story about gratitude starts with something I used to take for granted: my voice. As a singer, my voice was everything to me, but a few years ago, I developed a throat condition that left me unable to sing for months. At first, I was devastated—I felt like I’d lost a part of myself. But during that time, I discovered other ways to express myself, like writing and mentoring young singers. I also realized how much support I had from my family, friends, and fans, who reminded me that my worth wasn’t tied to what I could do, but to who I was. When I finally healed and was able to sing again, I didn’t just get my voice back—I gained a deeper appreciation for it and for the people who stood by me. Gratitude, I’ve learned, turns setbacks into gifts if you let it.