Modeh Ani

Before Shabbat I was talking to my sister about the Zionist event she went to where our grandfather got a standing ovation by hundreds of people for the part he played in the creation of the state of Israel. She expressed to me how it felt to witness such an event. It is an amazing realization when you comprehend that your ancestors did something special. That they are written in the history books, so to speak.
It's amazing to think about how each person who is alive today came from so many people before them, especially us Jews whose ancestors fought through so much to keep our people alive and strong. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to all who came before us. I am alive today because my ancestors survived the horrible conditions in Egypt, the destruction of two Temples, all the pogroms, and even the Holocaust. I am a link in a never-ending chain that spans thousands of years. When one stops to think about where they come from, no matter who they are, they should feel so lucky.
I used to wake up in the morning complaining that I didn't get enough sleep and saying, "Why!!! I want more sleep!!!" Now I wake up knowing that every day is a gift. Not just from God who returns my soul to me every morning, but to every person who fought to pass Judaism to their children until it reached me. When I say "Modeh Ani" in the morning I don't only think about God, I think about my parents and grandparents and their grandparents.