Gratitude Focus: I’m Grateful For The Platform Today

Reflection/Why I’m Grateful:

I went out to my social media feed and read a note from someone connected to me who shared that she and her husband are making foster care in Missouri their primary mission in retirement. That means so much to me.

When I was in college and decided to study social work, everyone around me thought I’d be a great child therapist. But when I got closer to that work, I found the pain was too raw. Years later, I even went through foster care training to become a foster parent—but again, it was deeply difficult.

I think we all have a role to play in helping young people. For me, part of that role has been acknowledging that while the pain of my past is still tender, I can still use my platform to elevate awareness, visibility, and understanding for the foster care community and those who serve it.

Even though my path didn’t lead me to clinical practice, I’ve come to see that my highest and best use may be in shining light on this system, helping others see the kids within it, and encouraging those who can step in to do so.

So today, I’m especially grateful—to Laura, for sharing her heart, and to every person who finds a way to make a difference in the lives of foster youth.

“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.”— Psalm 82:3 (NIV)

Where might you still be living with a me against the world mindset, and how would your outlook shift if you remembered that God is for you, and with you?

Question for Reflection

 

Hi, I’m Orvin Kimbrough, volunteer, board director, chairman, and CEO. I help professionals move from feeling stuck to being strengthened by reshaping how they think, lead, and live. My work focuses on confidence, leadership, and influence through mindset shifts, expanded networks, and bold, values-aligned action. My perspective is rooted in lived experience, from growing up in foster care to leading complex institutions as a CEO and shaped by faith, resilience, and a deep belief in human potential.

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Books for Every Stage

Twice Over a Man

A memoir often described as a leadership guide wrapped in an honest, relatable story of perseverance, healing, and growth. It explores how pain can be reframed into purpose and how ordinary people build meaningful lives through courage and clarity.

More Than a Conqueror

Written for teens and young adults, this book encourages confidence, resilience, and identity formation during the years when self-belief is being shaped.

Ward and the State

A children’s book that gently introduces big ideas like belonging, courage, and hope, helping young readers see themselves as more than their circumstances

INTRODUCING: The Thriver’s Path™

This blog is part of The Thriver’s Path™—a growing ecosystem of writing, courses, reflections, and community designed to help people of all ages reframe their thinking, reclaim their agency, and take their next meaningful move.

→ Ready for your next move?

Explore more writings, resources, and ways to engage at orvinkimbrough.com, or join the conversation inside the Thrivers Club™ community.

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Tags: Gratitude