Gratitude Focus: This Week, I’m Grateful For Keeping My Head And Focus Through A Long And Demanding Stretch

Reflection/Why I’m Grateful:

 In the midst of everything, I had the chance to connect with a fraternity brother and fellow banker from Texas. His visit brought laughter, fellowship, and a welcome reminder that relationships help ground us. We also held a successful board meeting and campaign launch—key milestones as we raise capital to support the growth of the bank.

But what stayed with me most this week was the space to reflect on leadership, values, and the moment we’re living in. We are in an era where fear is pervasive—a collective fear that challenges our ability to just be. To be our authentic selves. To see and affirm the evolving fabric of this country. I’m watching leaders wrestle with how to show up in a world that often feels polarized.

In between the meetings and preparation, I found myself meditating on the importance of values—not just mine, but everyone’s. We must know what we stand for and be willing to stand on it. I believe we can do this with respect and courage.

We’ve lost some of the art of respectful dialogue in our public discourse. In its place, we've adopted a "winner-take-all" conversational mindset—where the loudest voice tries to determine who gets to speak and what they can say. But that’s not the America I believe in.

What makes this country remarkable—despite its challenges—is that we still get to dream, speak, move, pray, disagree, advocate, and be. We get to be loud, or silent. To simply be—so long as we’re not causing harm or infringing on others. That’s what I love about America. And that’s what we all need to fight to preserve.

This reflection runs even deeper for me because I know what it feels like to have that freedom taken away. As a child, I was controlled. That control robbed me of innocence through abuse. It silenced my scream. It replaced dreams with nightmares. Today, I reflect on how far I’ve come—from silence to voice, from fear to freedom.