Grattitude

I still remember my first controlled live burn in fire school like it was yesterday. The instructor stacked up a couple hay bales in what looked like a living room and lit them up. The flames climbed the wall fast, heat rolling across the ceiling. He knelt down next to us in the smoke and through his face mask shouted, “This is the best job in the world!”

That moment stuck with me. It wasn’t just the adrenaline or the fire — it was the gratitude in his voice. The man meant it. He was thankful to be there, doing something that mattered.

As first responders, we have experienced things most people couldn’t handle for five minutes. We carry trauma, stress, and the weight of other people’s worst days. After a while, it can harden your heart. You start to forget the reasons you signed up. You stop seeing the small blessings — the smell of coffee at 3 a.m., the quiet ride back to the station after a save, or even just sitting in the bay laughing with your crew.

That’s where gratitude comes in. Gratitude isn’t pretending everything’s perfect. It’s remembering that even in the chaos, there’s good. It’s looking past the trauma and saying, “I’m still here. I’ve still got breath in my lungs, a purpose, and people who’ve got my back.” Gratitude is what turns surviving into healing.

When you start your shift with gratitude, it changes how you see everything. The calls don’t drain you the same way. The little things that used to get under your skin don’t have as much power. Gratitude softens the edges — not because the job gets easier, but because your heart gets stronger.

And it’s contagious. One grateful firefighter, EMT, or dispatcher can shift the whole atmosphere of a station. Gratitude builds resilience. It reminds us why we do what we do, and it helps us find meaning in the mess.

Spiritually, gratitude is powerful. It’s like saying, “God, I see You here — even in the fire, even in the pain.” Gratitude opens the door for peace to walk in. It doesn’t erase the trauma, but it gives it purpose. It reminds us that we’re not walking alone, and that there’s light in the middle of all this darkness.

So here’s your call to action: practice gratitude daily. Not once a week, not just on the good days. Every single day. Write it down. Say it out loud. Thank God for the breath in your lungs and the people in your life. Gratitude doesn’t just change how you think — it changes how you heal.

Because no matter how heavy it gets, there’s always something to be thankful for. Always.

Stay safe out there.

-Tom

“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan." Luke 17: 15-16

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