I can't help but be thankful, and really appreciate everything I

Hear now the words of Bria Vinaite, spoken with a spirit of humility and triumph: “I can’t help but be thankful, and really appreciate everything I have been through, good and bad, because it got me here!” This proclamation, though born in the modern age, carries the ancient wisdom of those who have walked through the valleys of hardship and climbed the mountains of fortune. In her voice is the song of gratitude, not only for the sweetness of joy but also for the bitterness of sorrow. She declares that every step, whether light or heavy, has been necessary to shape her path to the present.

The first flame in her words is thankfulness. She cannot help it—it flows naturally, as water from a spring. True gratitude is not forced; it is the recognition that life, in all its twists and turns, is a gift. To be thankful not only when the harvest is plentiful but also when storms have struck the fields—that is the mark of a soul awakened. Bria’s declaration reminds us that gratitude is not selective but encompassing, embracing both good and bad as essential teachers.

The second truth is appreciation of the journey. Many despise their past, wishing to erase the scars and struggles. Yet Bria proclaims the opposite: she treasures it. For without the shadow, the light would not be seen; without the trial, the victory would have no taste. The ancients taught that the anvil shapes the sword through hammer and fire. So too does life shape us through joy and suffering alike. Her words reveal that even pain, when seen through the lens of wisdom, becomes a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block.

History gives us mirrors of this truth. Consider the life of Helen Keller, born into silence and darkness, unable to hear or see. Many would have cursed such a fate, but Helen, guided by her teacher Anne Sullivan, transformed her afflictions into strength. She later declared that her challenges had forged her soul, giving her compassion and wisdom. Like Bria, she could say that even the bad was a gift, because it brought her to where she was meant to be—a beacon of courage to the world.

The third jewel in Bria’s words is the emphasis on being here—the present moment. All her trials, all her victories, have converged into now. Too often men and women live chained to the regrets of the past or the anxieties of the future. But she proclaims the sanctity of the present: “It got me here!” To honor the now is to understand that every event has purpose, every twist has meaning, and that where we stand today is the culmination of countless unseen threads of destiny.

The lesson for us is powerful: embrace your whole journey. Do not scorn the difficulties, for they forged you. Do not idolize only the joyful times, for they alone would have left you untempered. Life is a tapestry woven from both light and darkness, and to be thankful for all of it is to see the design of fate with clear eyes. In such vision, bitterness dissolves and endurance is born.

Practically, begin by reflecting not only on your blessings but also on your hardships. Ask yourself: What did this teach me? How did it shape me? Write these lessons down and honor them. Speak gratitude aloud, even for the struggles, for in doing so you strip them of their sting and transform them into strength. Live in the present, rejoicing that your path, however difficult, has carried you here, to this very breath, this very moment of being.

Thus Bria Vinaite’s words resound as a teaching for the ages: be thankful, appreciate everything, and honor both good and bad, for they brought you here. In this wisdom lies the power to walk forward with courage, joy, and peace, no matter what storms or blessings tomorrow may bring.