Tag: family

The Greatest Joy of My Life: Gratitude Sunday and My Son

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Day 39 of the 7-40 Challenge
Sunday, February 8, 2026
Gratitude Sunday – The Thank You Campaign

Hello and welcome to Day 39. It’s Gratitude Sunday, and another post in my Thank You Campaign.

The topic of today’s post is my son.

The Dream

When my wife and I first got married, we dreamed about our future. We talked about the size of the family we would want. We made plans and looked forward with expectancy for when our children would arrive.

When we were younger, we dreamed of having a very large family—as many as God would give us. That’s what I used to like to say.

We were married when we were 20 years old. We weren’t quite ready to start having children right after getting married, so we waited around five years before we began planning for our children to arrive.

The Threat

It was about that same time that I had my first bout with testicular cancer.

To say that this was the opposite of what we wanted is a very true statement. Because of the part of the body that cancer attacks, and because of having to have that tumor removed, we were uncertain if we would be able to have children at all.

So we went from praying and hoping for a very large family to the very real possibility of just it being a family of two—just my wife and me.

By God’s grace and through His healing, I was cancer-free by the middle of 2005, with a new lease on life and hope that we would be able to, in time, have the children we had prayed for.

The Moment

Fast forward to the fall of 2007.

I remember very clearly lying in bed and seeing the bathroom light come on. And watching my bride stand there with that little indicator in her hand.

It was finally time. It was finally real.

We were going to have a baby.

It was almost five years after we had first started praying and almost ten years after we had gotten married. But our baby was on the way. And we were so excited.

The Birth

Fast forward to the day of his birth in 2008.

After a very long labor period—two and a half days—he was born. When he was delivered, he had an Apgar score of one. They were very concerned about him.

I wasn’t in the room when he was born due to complications. I didn’t find out about the Apgar score until they handed him over to me.

But within minutes, that score had improved to an eight.

Answered prayer. Confirmed relief.

And very soon, Mama, baby, and me were in our hospital room.

The Joy

I will never forget the look of joy and absolute elation on my darling wife’s face.

She had just been through two and a half days of labor, trying to have our son naturally. She had endured a lot of physical duress. She was exhausted. She was beat up.

And you would not have been able to see any of that at that moment. She was transfixed. She was in love.

I wish I had several photographs of that little moment in time to show the picture I have burned in my memory. (Thank God, the iPhone had been invented by then—I do have one.)

She had finally become who she was meant to be in one regard. She was my wife, and now she was our son’s mother.

And the world was right.

The Reality

Fast forward all these years.

The family we thought would be very large is just the three of us. We will still take whatever God gives. But at the same time, I can’t neglect to say: our son has been one of the greatest joys in our lives.

He is so smart and so funny. He is so kind and compassionate. He’s full of character and resolve. He is a perfect blend of his mother and me—and he’s becoming so much more than we are.

It has been such a privilege and a joy to watch him do that.

We tell him from time to time how grateful we are for him. How proud we are of him.

What He Changed

This young man changed my life in so many ways.

He has been one of the catalysts that brought out my work ethic in my late twenties and early thirties.

I remember holding him for the first time, not long after he was born, knowing I would work myself to the bone to provide for our family. That I would do whatever it took to make sure they are taken care of.

I think every parent goes to that moment—where you realize that no matter what it takes, you’ll do it to provide for your family and children. That translated into me getting much more focused on the opportunities I had in front of me in my data career, which I’ve had since before he was born.

And that determination has only intensified over the years.

I now look forward to getting to support him even more as he becomes an adult, as he finds the things he is even more passionate about.

Son

If you’re reading these words, know this:

Your mother and I are so proud of you. We’re so thankful for you. We are so grateful that you are our son.

Not a day goes by that I don’t feel that gratefulness in my heart.

It is one of the greatest joys of my life to be your daddy. I am proud of you and who you are.

Day 39: Complete ✓

All seven habits executed. Gratitude Sunday honored.

Round 1 Progress: 39/40 days (97.5%)

One more day until Round 1 is complete.

See you tomorrow for Day 40.

The Little Things She Remembers: Gratitude Sunday and 27 Years of Small Holy Moments

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Day 32 of the 7-40 Challenge
Sunday, February 1, 2026
Gratitude Sunday – The Thank You Campaign

I’m taking every Sunday this year as an opportunity to express gratitude for a person, situation, or memory that has influenced me in a positive way. Today’s subject: my beautiful bride.

The Memory I Forgot

We were driving to lunch today, enjoying each other’s conversation like we always do. We’ve been married for 27 years now, and it hit me: because we’re both 47 years old, we’ve got more memories with each other than we have without.

Over a quarter century of friendship. Laughter. Love. Memories. Shared sorrows. A life we’ve gotten to build together.

As we talked, we were sharing disdain for the amount of snow still left in our area. That snowstorm last week was something else, making it very hard for both of us to do things we enjoy. She loves being outside, taking care of her garden. I love walking and exercising in nature.

And then she brought up a memory that she remembered and I did not.

Apparently, a little over a year after we got married—late 1999 or early 2000—there was another snowstorm. And I was eager to make snow ice cream.

It was the first time we’d been together when it snowed. In Oklahoma, snow is not the rule—it’s very much the exception.

She remembers me going out onto our balcony with a blue Tupperware bowl (probably knockoff Tupperware we got for our wedding) and filling it with snow. I made a little over a gallon of snow ice cream.

I told her it always reminded me of my childhood—something my mom and I did together during the rare times it snowed. It has a very familiar, very nostalgic place in my heart.

But here’s what got me: She had a memory of me making it for her for the first time.

When She Remembered and I Did Not

When she brought this up, it hit me hard.

The times we share with people can be meaningful to them without us even noticing. Which means we need to share those times and be as intentional as we can be with the people we love.

It didn’t surprise me that she remembered it—that’s what she does. But what surprised me was that such a simple little recipe with snow left a smile from that long ago.

I thought: I’m grateful that there are little moments in our lives that become meaningful just because we share them with somebody we love.

Something that was meaningful to me as a kid has now become much more meaningful to me as an adult because it made my bride smile.

Becoming One

There’s a principle in the Bible that says a man should leave his father and mother and become one with his wife. While the Bible is obviously talking about knowing her intimately and physically, I think we also need to acknowledge that becoming one with your spouse is also about bond, partnership, and shared experience.

It is a holy and awesome union that I think most people today don’t really understand.

We live in a world where people are encouraged to figure out life for themselves, their careers, their bucket list, their desires first—before they ever take the time to settle down and get married. Everything else before settling. A position I wholeheartedly disagree with.

What I found is by making that most important decision in my life early, I now had someone to share those amazing times and those struggles with. I have a beautiful champion in my corner who lifts me up and walks with me, who experiences blissful highs with me and holds me through the lows.

People do not understand what becoming one in purpose, mission, and in our lives really does.

We Didn’t Know Then What We Know Now

Back in those younger days, as we were building our young marriage, building memories, building our relationship, enjoying our friendship, we didn’t know.

We didn’t know we would go through hardship and trials. That we would struggle from time to time and overcome. That our wedding vows would be lived out year over year as they have been. Sometimes through some very scary moments.

I didn’t realize that small memories would become so sweet and full of so much meaning and texture.

I didn’t realize that those shared experiences would bind us together even more tightly, deepening the love we have for each other.

All of it comes together. And all I can do is stand in awe of the relationship I have with this beautiful woman, with a thankful heart to God for the day He brought her into my life and for every day He allows me to be her husband and her best friend.

What Gratitude Discipline Reveals

I think taking a chance weekly to be purposely grateful—not just in my marriage, but in my life in general—reminds me that I am ridiculously blessed.

I am so rich in so many ways that have nothing to do with money.

I am sitting on a gold mine of opportunity if I only tune my mind to it: an opportunity to love people, to take care of people, to serve people, to work through creative ideas, to share with people, to provide for my family, and to live a life that many people would not choose to live because they do it without gratitude or true thankfulness.

I have been blessed so richly in so many ways. How could I be anything but grateful?

It is my honor to share that gratitude tangibly with the world around me and help them, hopefully, be inspired to see the same thing. I can think of no more fitting place to start than with my marriage.

The Key to Building a Marriage

I think one of the keys to building a marriage—especially a marriage that lasts—is by cherishing and honoring not only the relationship but all those small holy moments that make it up.

Snow ice cream on a balcony in a knockoff Tupperware bowl.

A conversation on the way to lunch about too much snow.

Twenty-seven years of moments like these, stacking up into a life we’ve built together.

Sweetheart, I know you’re reading this.

I love you with every fiber of my being and more. I am grateful that you are my partner in this life and that you are my love.

For Everyone Reading This

Not everybody reading this is married. But you will have a friendship with someone special who has your back. You will have opportunities that have been given to you that you could be grateful for. You will have memories that can help spur you on to good things.

It’s all in our perspective.

Cherish the relationships you have. Honor the small holy moments that make them up.

Because someday, someone might remember a simple thing you did together—and that memory will make them smile 27 years later.

Day 32: Complete ✓

All seven habits executed. Gratitude Sunday honored.

Round 1 Progress: 32/40 days (80%)

Eight more days until Round 1 is complete.

See you tomorrow for Day 33.

Day 12: More Than Just Checking Boxes (Why This Challenge Is Emotional)

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

I’m in the Emotional chapter of “Made to Stick” this morning, and something caught my attention.

The Heath brothers tell a story about a soldier cook. He had retired, but when offered an opportunity to cook for soldiers in Iraq, he jumped at the post. When asked about his job, he didn’t say “I prepare food.” He said: “My job is morale.”

He understood something deeper than the task list. Yes, he cooked meals. But his real job was building the strength soldiers needed to keep fighting, to survive, to stay mentally sharp in war.

That hit me hard. Because the 7-40 Challenge can’t just be about checking boxes.

The Real Job

Bible study. Exercise. Reading. Water. Calories. Gratitude. Creative work.

Seven habits. Forty days. Repeated seven times.

On the surface, that’s what I’m doing. But here’s the truth: my job is to be living proof that change is possible.

I was made to help people. To make their lives better, easier, more purposeful. I feel that call deep inside me—the need to take care of people, to build them up, to show them what’s possible.

But I can’t do that and ignore myself.

I have to fill my cup so I can fill others.

Why This Is Emotional for Me

This isn’t self-improvement for self-improvement’s sake. If the goal were just about me, it would be much too small.

I’m doing this because:

My family needs me healthy and strong. Fewer illnesses means less stress on my wife. More energy means I can be active, do the home improvement projects we love, spend time doing whatever activities we choose. Better mood means better interactions with everyone around me.

My son needs to see this. Not hear about transformation someday—watch it happen in real time. So when life gets hard for him, he knows it’s possible to choose differently.

The 1,000 people I want to impact need proof. By clearly defining the transformation I’m undergoing and letting people watch it play out in real time, I’m demonstrating the courage they need to name their own transformation—which may be completely different than mine. But watching mine unfold might inspire them to face theirs.

The Ripple Effect

When I’m healthy, strong, and energized, my world improves. And everything my world touches improves.

My marriage gets stronger. My parenting gets more present. My work gets sharper. My ability to help others grows exponentially.

That’s not narcissism. That’s stewardship.

I can’t pour from an empty cup. And at times over the past twenty+ years, I’ve run on fumes, talking about “someday” while my cup stayed empty.

Not anymore.

Motivation and Movement

The soldier cook understood: his real job was giving soldiers the strength to keep fighting.

My real job? Giving people stuck in “someday” mode the courage to actually move. To break from routine’s gravity. To start now instead of waiting for perfect.

And I can only do that if I’m doing it myself.

Day 12. Twelve perfect days behind me. Not because I’m special, but because the mission is bigger than me.

Day 12 Scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Exercise (Workout B – back, biceps, legs) ✅ Reading (Made to Stick – Emotional chapter) ✅ Water ✅ Calories ✅ Gratitude ✅ Creative hour

The best time to fill your cup? Now. Not for yourself alone. For everyone who needs you at your best.

My job isn’t just the habits.

It’s to be living proof that change is possible.

See you tomorrow for Day 13.

Gratitude Sunday: My Mom and George Bailey

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

One of my favorite Christmas movies is It’s a Wonderful Life.

When I was younger, I liked it because an angel comes down and helps a guy get through a hard time. You get to see his whole story unfold and figure out who he really is. I didn’t see the deep significance as a young person watching this movie for the first time.

As I’ve gotten older, George Bailey’s story has become far too familiar.

I see it in life all around me. People—many wonderful people—don’t realize the good they do. They don’t understand how their influence has shaped the world around them far more than they know.

One person I can see this to be true about is my mother.

A Life of Selfless Love

My mother is one of the most selfless, wonderful people I have ever met or had the pleasure to know. She is kind and caring and deeply concerned with the well-being of others.

This flows from her relationship with God, which has been solid for as long as I can remember. She loves Jesus dearly. And because of that, she has consistently, over the years, shown people God’s love in countless ways.

I’ve seen her stop in the grocery store and share God with people or stop and pray with them just because she knew they needed it. I’ve seen her give of herself and run herself ragged to make sure that the people she served and the people she loved were taken care of.

But I’m going to tell this story from my perspective, from what I’ve seen in my own life.

Songs and Stories in the Early ’80s

My mother, in the early ’80s, started telling me stories about Jesus. She would sing songs and read the Bible with me. She was very involved in making sure that I knew that Jesus loved me—and also building me up to be a confident and strong young man.

She was consistent in her love.

I reminded her the other day that she’s the reason I know Jesus, just as she’s the reason many other people in this world know Jesus as well. She’s the reason people have found hope when they didn’t have any. She’s the reason people have found kindness when they most needed it.

She has been God’s love to people repeatedly throughout her life.

And just like George Bailey, I don’t think she understands just how far her influence has gone.

The Billy Graham Question

It makes me think.

If I asked you, “Do you know who Billy Graham is?” most of us—whether we are Christians or not—have heard the name. We know he was a very famous minister. We know that he touched countless lives with the love of God and with the message of God’s salvation.

But if I asked you, “What was the name of the man who introduced Billy Graham to Jesus?” I don’t think many of us would know who that is.

You never know the effect you have on someone’s life. You never know the influence. You never know the good that you do. You’ll never see the full picture.

But that shouldn’t stop you from doing good.

My Gratitude

So to say the least, I’m grateful for my mother.

I’m grateful for the way she’s loved me and taken care of me. Even though it’s been many, many years since I’ve lived in their home, she still loves me and prays for me to this day like I’m her baby boy.

Her influence on me has been outstanding.

And I can only imagine the influence she’s had on others—the people whose names I’ll never know, whose stories I’ll never hear, whose lives were changed because she stopped in a grocery store or prayed with someone who was hurting or sang songs about Jesus to a little boy in the early ’80s.

She’ll never know how far her influence has gone.

But I do know this: I wouldn’t be here without her. I wouldn’t know Jesus without her. I wouldn’t be attempting this 7-40 Challenge without the foundation she helped build in my life.

So thank you, Mom.

For being God’s love when I needed it most.

For never giving up on me.

For showing me what it looks like to live a life of purpose.

You’re far more influential than you know.

And I’m forever grateful.

#ThankYouCampaign #GratitudeSunday #ItsAWonderfulLife #GeorgeBailey #MothersLove #Faith #Jesus #Grateful #FamilyLegacy #Influence #740Challenge #Purpose #ChristianLife #Thankful

Day 12 of the 7-40 Challenge: When Your Apple Watch Begs for Mercy

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Hello, friends! Welcome to Day 12 of the 7-40 Challenge—where the garden-building saga continues, and my family and I are officially running on fumes.

Today was next-level. I did something I’m not sure I’ve ever done before: my Apple Watch clocked over 150 workout minutes. That’s right—150+ minutes of pure, real-life hustle. No gym, no long walks or yoga, just me, a mountain of wood, and sheer determination.

I hauled several thousand pounds of timber across the yard. By the end, my arms were noodles, my back was whispering sweet nothings of revenge, and my watch was basically screaming, “Are you trying to kill me?!”

But here’s the thing: it was worth it.

This wasn’t some scripted fitness app routine. This was a real-life workout—the kind that builds more than muscle. It builds grit. It builds progress. It builds a garden (and a story) we’ll look back on and say, “Yeah, we did that.”

The Short & Sweet Message for Tonight:

Keep working on the goals.

Do hard things. Do them well.

Even when you’re exhausted. Even when the wood feels heavier than your will to live.

Because the best workouts?

They don’t always happen in a gym.

Sometimes they happen in the dirt, under the sun, with family beside you and a dream in front of you.

Tomorrow, we rest.

But tonight?

We celebrate the burn.

See you on Day 13.

(If I can still move.)