Up a tree

The first thing I saw when I arrived for Thanksgiving dinner was my grandnephew Carlos, up in a tree in the front yard.

Off and on, all evening, he was outside climbing that tree. Nothing, not even pitch-black darkness, could keep him out of that tree for long.

Carlos is a 7-year-old who's missing four fingers on his left hand. But that doesn't stop him. Carlos is a determined little boy. (You should see him swing a baseball bat.)

Okay, he fell a couple of times. That didn't matter. He just climbed back up again.

Between dinner and dessert, Carlos asked to be excused so he could go climb the tree. In the dark. By himself.

Determination is a powerful attribute in life. And that's another thing I'm grateful for: Carlos's determination will stand him in good stead.