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American Hero #4
John Kralik
May 6, 2011
Watch John's interviews with ABC and CBS
Thank you, America, for always showing the courage to endure and rebuild, no matter the loss. Thank you, America, for having the grace to temper the drive to succeed with the desire to help the less fortunate. Thank you, America, for having the passion for justice, but the ability to suffer when justice must wait. And, thank you always for the strength to forgive, and the willingess to go on. Always to go on. -John Kralik
Congratulations to John Kralik, our American Hero Number 4, for 2011.
Ever since Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence, the "pursuit of happiness" has been an American theme. Problem is, Jefferson did not tell us how to GET happiness, that often illusive butterfly. John Kralik's transparent and poignant personal journey, as chronicled in his new book, 365 Thank Yous (click here to order), wonderfully illustrates how focusing on gratitude can help us find happiness.
At age 53, John Kralik's life was spiraling down. His emotional reserves, relationships and financial resources were all ebbing away. He got hit, again, when his girlfriend broke up with him and, therefore, canceled her plans to accompany him on a hike on New Year's day, 2008. He decided to go alone. In his time of solitude, a strong message from somewhere entered his thoughts, "You will not get what you want until you are grateful for what you have." As John pondered this message he came up with a plan. Why not send a thank you note to someone every day for a whole year?
John's disciplined, 365 day "thank you" experiment is one that can motivate us all, especially here in America, to, simply, be more grateful. It has certainly gotten MY attention while listening to the audio book, narrated by John, himself. His incredibly transparent and sensitive story is filled with seemingly miraculous examples of what happened during his year-long, soulful journey of gratitude.
In contacting John about his American Hero award, I thought it would be fitting and asked if he would write a "thank you" note to America. He graciously agreed to pen the moving thank you above to our beloved country.
Thank YOU, John, for helping us better understand the value of gratitude.
Post Script
Our goal is to identify, during 2011, 56 current-day heroes like the ones who, in 1776, signed our Declaration of Independence. If you would like to nominate someone please send your idea to news@americanvalues.com. If you would like to receive this email newsletter, "American Hero News", you may do so by clicking on the link at the bottom.
Carter LeCraw, CEO,
American Values Investments, Inc.
Acknowledgements:
Our thanks are extended to John Kralik for his cooperation with this article and his willingess to be included in our "56 American Heroes" project. |
