A s a running back in the National Football League, my instinct is to always be moving forward. No matter what the defense throws at me, no matter how successful our offensive game plan is, it’s always full steam ahead. In some ways, that’s why Thanksgiving is my favorite time of year — it gives me the chance to look back, to consider not just where I am going, but where I’ve been.

Now a veteran on the team, I’m building something wonderful in Pittsburgh, but I know that nothing can be built without a solid foundation; without the right materials. For me, that all starts with my mother — and her unwavering belief that despite life’s twists and turns, its highs and lows, it’s important to maintain balance and perspective. Get stuffed at the line for no gain? Get right back up. Break off a 70-yard TD run? Get ready for the next series.

My mother was my first and strongest offensive line. Raising my two brothers and me as a single, working mom, her résumé is far more remarkable than any 200-yard game on mine. She was our family’s great protector. Looking back on things now, we never knew struggle, even though we struggled. There were countless times when we didn’t have, I just didn’t know we didn’t have. It wasn’t just things and stuff, either; we never lived in the best neighborhoods, but she made sure we weren’t in the worst ones, either. I was always in the right schools, with the right resources at my disposal. She saw to it that I had the sports equipment I needed, and even now, I have no idea how she came up with the money for it. The irony is, when people now compliment my ability to make something out of nothing on the football field, my mom is the one who’s been doing so in real life all along.

Of all the lessons my mom taught me, though, the one that still resonates the most was to treat every loss as a learning experience. I didn’t always win at everything — Lord knows I tried! — but that wasn’t the point. The point was to be the best I could possibly be. When I lost a tennis match in eighth grade, I shook my opponent’s hand afterward and asked him to stay behind to show me how to hit the ball with topspin like he did. It wasn’t about how bad I had played earlier, it was about how good I aspired to be going forward. I wish all children could grasp how important it is to strive to improve themselves. Especially the ones who grow up in difficult circumstances.

I’m thankful for family, both immediate and extended. Mom didn’t care only for me and my friends, her care spread to everyone and everything in her personal world. She has four dogs, and takes care of them like family. They are family. I have a dog of my own now, Beautiful, a Rottweiler. I love her the same way my mother taught me, unconditionally.

My mom likes to think I learned my moves from dodging our German Shepherd Z in our backyard. That’s partly true, but I also honed my juking skills from watching how she handled her business — if there was an obstacle in our way, she was going to find a way over, around, and past it.