Gratitude

Thankful not only on this day.   ”This year in particular, I have a lot to be thankful for.  Of course I am thankful for all the staples, a loving family, a decent job, my health, but there are a few other things that deserve homage this year.  This year, I am using Elbert Hubbard’s words of wisdom, “I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to have things I am not able to appreciate,” to gauge my thanks.  This year, I am gauging my thanks on the Thanksgiving thermometer.

Thanksgiving Day

All my life, I have had really cold hands.  My mom says I got them from my grandmother.  She was always cold, too.  Sometimes my hands are so cold that they physically hurt. I have tried every home remedy under the sun, and I cannot get them to warm up.  They are that bad.  So not complaining all the time about my frigid hands, I am going to be thankful that my cold hands have warmed the lives of so many children.

What are you Thankful for this thanksgiving day

The opportunity to touch the life of a child is a blessing, and so many more times than not, children warm our hearts just the same. I’ve cooled fevers, iced injuries, and heated pulled muscles. I’ve done it all because my heart reached out through caring and compassion for the children serve daily. So this year, I am thankful for the warmth that many nurses give to the children. And despite that fact that sometimes my cold hands may scare them, their innocence can melt the freeze of a lifetime of cold hands.

Thanksgiving is a  thankful Day

Like her cold hands, my grandmother had really cold eyes.  They were an icy blue, and she wore the sternest look on her face.  When she hugged me, she patted me so hard that my back would burn. Yet, despite her cold eyes and cold hands, there was not an ounce of ice in her veins.  She grew up in a different time, a time where you worked hard and saved for emergencies.  There was nothing frivolous about her.   But, when it came to loving children, there was no lack of love.

Grandma thankful day

She always say it’s a thanksgiving thankful day  Her cold eyes and cold hands led straight to her warm heart.  This year, I am thankful that my grandmother taught me how to love and care until it burned .  How to squeeze the many children I work with until it blisters my inner being.  Grandma’s hands and cold eyes showed me how warm love can truly be.

Be happy bless you this thanksgiving day

Be it my cold hands or grandma’s cold eyes that serve as the vehicle for this metaphor, obviously this year, I am grateful for the warm relationship I have had the privilege of being a part of.  The ability to love is a warm blessing that should not be taken for granted.  W. Clement Stone said it best, “If you are really thankful, what do you do?  You share.”  Share something warm this Thanksgiving.