Reflections on the Journey
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your Thanksgiving was as wonderful as a plate full of your favorite comfort food! As we reflect on the blessings in our lives, I hope your day was filled with moments of gratitude and warmth.
This week’s Wave Report will be shorter and a little more personal than usual. We’re in California with family for the holiday, and I’d like to share some reflections on this holiday weekend.
Reflecting on this Thanksgiving, I’m particularly grateful for my father. After a full life, he passed away on September 30. He passed away just 21 days shy of his 79th birthday.
He was born in Seattle, just a few miles from where I live today. The oldest of three children, he was drafted into the army in 1966, in the thick of the Vietnam War. Instead of being sent to the war front, he was assigned to a post in Germany as a chaplain’s assistant. 🙏
He and my mother had five children – four girls and one boy. As the only son, I had a unique relationship with my dad.
I’m grateful for him.
I’m grateful for basketball games in the park, always telling me to keep my shooting elbow in.
I’m grateful for that time in Tijuana, when we got lost on the way to the orphanage where we were supposed to serve. Instead, we served people in the city—such a fond memory.
I’m grateful that he always told me he loved me.
I’m also grateful for the many difficult moments. We had a complex relationship. I remember when I was younger being sad about that. It would have been easy to wish that my story was different.
But I don’t wish my story was different. The experiences that have shaped me include happy moments – but difficult ones, too. It’s a part of the tapestry of my life.
I believe each of us is on a journey of understanding three things – 1) who we were made to be, 2) the context we’ve been placed in, and 3) how to live in the intersection of those two things – who we are and our lived experience. This is my story, and I choose to embrace the positives and the negatives.
I don’t know your story. I don’t know what kind of family you grew up in. I don’t know what kinds of lived experiences you’ve had – both the good and bad – that have shaped you.
What’s your story? Who are you? Who has shaped who you are? What experiences have contributed to how you show up in the world?
Tomorrow, my family and I will gather to celebrate his life at the church my parents have attended for 25+ years. It will be a celebration, and I’m looking forward to it.
💡 Takeaway: As you reflect this holiday season, consider these questions:
Who were you made to be?
What context have you been placed in?
What do you do with that now, in this moment?
I’m thankful for you.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Until next week… Surfs Up! 🌊
- Dave
P.S. With GivingTuesday just a few days away, I thought you might enjoy this recent Wave Report, just in case you missed it: 🗓️ On GivingTuesday and Other Invented Holidays.
About the Author | Dave Raley
Consultant, speaker, and writer Dave Raley is the founder of Imago Consulting, a firm that helps non-profits and businesses create profitable growth through sustainable innovation. He’s the author of a weekly trendspotting report called The Wave Report, and the co-founder of the Purpose & Profit Podcast — a show about the ideas at the intersection of nonprofit causes and for-profit brands.
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