Well, hello, my friends, and welcome to the Live Inspired podcast Monday Morning Moments with John O'Leary.

I record these so you and I can begin our days and our weeks in awe and on fire. You knew it was coming with a burst of

inspiration. And today on this Monday morning, it is World Parkinson's Awareness Day. I want to

celebrate one of my heroes, one of the greatest men I've ever met, ever read about and ever had

the honor of calling Dad. So today we're going to be celebrating Denny O'Leary

and three words he shared with me several years ago that changed my perspective on life. Here they are.

Sit back down. Write those ones down. Sit back down. You see, for three decades, Parkinson's

disease has robbed my dad of his ability to work, type, write, drive, walk, and lately speak. As a result, it has become nearly impossible for him to

socialize with others, to participate in personal hobbies, and to do ordinary things that so

many of us take for granted. As obviously difficult as this disease is for my dad, it amazes me

that you never, ever, ever hear him complain. Never.

One day, a few years back, no doubt while preoccupied with some of my own personal day-to-day

challenges, I was moved to ask my dad how he remains so positive in the face of such difficulty. And dad responded

immediately, how could he complain when his life is so good? So I asked him to give me three things that

he was grateful for specifically because of the Parkinson's disease. And he came up with these three.

He said, John, I'm grateful it was not a more serious disease.

That's where it started.

He went on from there to say, I'm grateful for the time to reflect on who I am,

what really matters, and where God is in my story.

And then the third piece came when he said, John, I've always liked your mom. I said something

to the effect of dad. I'm glad you like my mom. That's great news. He said, no, you're missing the

point. So many people are pushing me away as this disease progresses, but your mother, my bride,

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