So much attention has been devoted to President Donald Trump and the breakneck speed at which he’s making changes in our nation’s government the last few weeks that many may have missed something that his second in command, JD Vance, did.

Tucked away on an obscure little corner of X, Vance left this unassuming note:

My kids are settling in to the Vice President’s official residence, and I just want to say: thank you to the American people.

While we don’t own this property, it is a beautiful home for our three little kids. We are grateful, and will take good care of it.

Sometimes the smallest things in life provide the most truths to unpack, and this message from Vance is no exception, for he provides us with three areas each of us would do well to implement in our own lives and in the lives of our children.

Gifting Gratitude

It’s commonly said that a lack of gratitude is a sign of arrogance. Thus, the fact that Vance is taking time to say thank you to the American people for the VP residence demonstrates that he is fully aware that he didn’t achieve the office all by his lonesome.

Such gratitude is rarely seen in a public official, but the American people can’t exactly throw stones about that fact, because we have grown increasingly less grateful ourselves. Writer Jeremy Adams highlighted this in a “Public Discourse” column several years ago, noting that younger Americans “seem to believe that their blessings … are owed to them.”

So how can we take a cue from Vance and incorporate gratitude into our lives?

Get a pack of nice notecards and send a hand-written thank you note for the next gift you receive, whether it’s as large as a wedding gift or as small as a friend treating you to coffee. Start a gratitude journal and keep it by your bed or at the dinner table, writing at least one thing you or your family are grateful for that happened during the day. Or simply be more purposeful in saying “thank you” to friends and family members. Making something a practice will soon turn it into a priority – and gratitude is certainly one thing of which we can never have too much.

Drop the Entitlement

Vance is a millennial, a member of the age demographic which TIME once labeled the “ME ME ME Generation,” the same generation raised on participation trophies which gave kids an A for effort.

But Vance seems to have broken out of this mindset, openly acknowledging that he isn’t entitled to the VP residence. How did he do this? His mention of his children – particularly in the fact that he exults over the benefits the beautiful VP residence brings to them – gives a major clue.

One of the best ways we can combat the entitlement culture is to think of others more than ourselves … and one of the quickest ways to forget ourselves is by having our own offspring, caring and providing for them, thinking of the future rather than focusing on the present.

Sadly, 47% of American adults between age 18 and 49 say they’re unlikely to have children in the future, a Pew Research report found last year. If such attitudes continue, then it shouldn’t surprise us if entitlement continues to be the theme of our culture.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can encourage a culture that loves children, not only by expanding our own families, but also by having an open and welcome nature toward little ones, lending a helping hand to young families and simply showing love and acceptance of little voices and the wriggling, active bodies from which those voices spring. Focusing on the next generation this way will help not only ourselves but others move beyond the entitlement culture that has consumed our society in recent years.

Stewarding What You Have

Vance’s last promise – to take good care of the VP residence – signals his commitment to good stewardship.

We’ve grown into a throw-away society, one in which the quick, consumerist mindset holds full sway. But what if we took a cue from Vance and began seeking to preserve things which should be long-lasting? Sharing hand-me-downs, growing and making our own food, and having our children work on house fix-it projects alongside us are just a few ways we can instill the mentality of valuing what we’ve been given and making it last for the future.

Now, you may be thinking that each of these three qualities displayed by Vance seem to have a similar thread running through them. If you pegged that thread as humility, you’re right on track.

Regardless of whether you agree with Vance politically, it’s admittedly refreshing to see a political leader display such humility. We need more of that. After all, as Ben Franklin wrote in a 1734 edition of “Poor Richard’s Almanac, “Humility makes great men twice honourable.”

We need more honor in society. So let’s make sure Vance isn’t the only one taking up the mantle of humility. Let’s join him by starting to exercise gratitude, a lack of entitlement, and good stewardship in our own daily lives.

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The republication of this article is made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal. 

Image Credit: Flickr-Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0