Being the week of Thanksgiving it is hard not to think of what you are grateful for. Being a few days out from my mastectomy, I am incredibly thankful for so much. When you go through something traumatic it is amazing how people rally behind you. I have had so many wonderful people support me through prayer, thoughts, texts, notes, gifts, flowers, meals, childcare, walks, clothes, and every single bit of support blows me away. Some talk of a selfish world, and in some ways, it absolutely is. But then the world gives us reason to believe in humanity again. Especially around Thanksgiving and Christmastime. I hope I can show all of the people that have been continually rallying behind me how grateful I am by giving back to them when they are in need one day.
I am grateful to be alive. Something I wouldn’t have necessarily thought to be grateful for a year ago… this life we all take for granted now rings a resounding bell for me. I am grateful for each breath, each smile, each laugh, each meal, each sip, and each moment I am gifted to spend with my darling daughters, handsome husband, marvelous momma, besties and loved ones abound. Today, as I sit on the front porch with cool breezes sweeping by I am grateful for the little things like cozy blankets, Christmas movies, the smells of cinnamon baking in the oven, family overcrowded in our home, neighbors popping by to say hello and the sweetest music- laughter from our daughters.
I have been blessed beyond measure while still enduring one of the most difficult life challenges one can face. I’ve had people reach out who I don’t even know telling me how much my story has inspired them, and that is truly all I’ve ever hoped to accomplish in my recovery from this battle.
As you welcome Thanksgiving this week, take a moment to say thank you, in any form. Take a moment to pay it forward, big or small. Take a moment to breathe in and look around at all the blessings each day brings. Whether you are facing a difficult challenge, on a mountaintop kind of high, celebrating victory, coasting week to week, barely surviving motherhood, stressed to the max at work, or breezing through life…each phase brings different emotions. Each part of our life gives us an opportunity to give back. Regardless of where you are in your life right now, be thankful. Show gratitude. Give back. Those are the actions that help us restore humanity and bring the selflessness back into the selfish world. One kind act at a time.