I'm grateful for where I am.

I'm grateful for how far I've come.

I'm grateful for mountains climbed and battles won. I'm grateful.

I still have a long way to go.

My desire to grow, to get better, to become more than I am today doesn't have a thing to do with my gratitude. In fact, my ability to appreciate how far I've come encourages me that there is still farther to go. So, when I point out the areas in my own life that aren't quite right, I'm not discounting the past; I'm just committing to making the future better.

It's the same with our families, relationships, businesses, and even with our country. Acknowledging there are areas in desperate need of improvement should not keep us from being grateful for what we have. And being grateful for what we have should not keep us from fixing errors, addressing injustice, and striving for something better.

We need both - to be grateful and to grow.

Happy Fourth of July! May we be grateful for the past and determined to grow in the future. The best is yet to come only when we understand that what we have isn't best yet.

There is still room to grow.