Our lives should be one long, uninterrupted effort to make sure we don't take each other for granted

Every morning for the last 23-plus years, I have awoken to the blissful knowledge that I am married to my wife.

Whether I'm at home and she's lying next to me in bed, or I'm traveling on business and she's hundreds (or thousands) of miles away, that reality has thankfully not changed.

Some days I am very good at appreciating it. Other days it stays more to the back of my mind. It's there, of course, but it's not at the forefront of my thoughts.

Which is too bad, really. Because I find I'm much better off in terms of my mood, my outlook and my approach to life when I actively consider the things with which I have been blessed.

The greatest of those gifts are the people in our lives, right? Having a roof over your head is nice. Having food to eat is wonderful. Having electric lighting, a comfortable bed and the security of living in a free society are undeniably pleasant things. But it all pales in comparison to the friends and family who sustain us.

You probably agree with that. And, like me, you still probably take those people for granted from time to time.

Or maybe all the time.

I have a long list of folks whose presence in my life is uplifting. I benefit from my connection to them. They nourish me spiritually, mentally and almost any other positive "-lly" word you care to name.

But no one does it for me more than my wife.

She is the single most amazing person I know. She is kind, loving, funny, smart, pretty, caring and a joy to be around. And through the strange life lottery that determines our day-to-day circumstances, I get to be with her all the time.

That's pretty cool.

So cool that I should be down on my knees every day thanking God for her. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I forget to.

Too often we most appreciate the people in our lives when we no longer have them. That's just how we tend to be.

But it's not how we have to be.

Go appreciate the people you love. You can do it inwardly, through prayer or silent thanks, but you'll get more out of it if you tell them outwardly that you love and appreciate them.

And that you promise to try and not take them for granted.

They'll be better off knowing how you feel about them. And you'll feel better for having told them.

Trust me.