Grateful

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your heart is overflowing and the chairs around your table are full.

This past week I had a health scare that thankfully ended up with everything being okay. The situation initially wasn't handled well by the specialist's office I had visited, which caused a lot of unnecessary additional anxiety. But as the week progressed, I felt an incredible amount of gratitude for those who cared for me in small and large ways. I have an incredible PCP team (thanks Dr. Kristin Oja, Monica, and Stat Wellness!) who knows me and cares about me, who took time to get the information I needed from the other doctor's office and explain it to me. I finally got to the right person at the specialist to schedule my follow up; Vickie was filled with compassion and encouragement. When I made it to that next appointment, Natasha checked me in and told me she just felt like I was going to be okay - she said M.D.s are there to help out G.O.D. Those who went through the actual appointment with me, Maddie and Olivia, talked to me, made me laugh, and helped me feel distracted. Another practitioner walked by with a shirt on that said "faith over fear." And maybe best of all, another patient, Cindy, chatted with me and we came to realize we had friends in common. Although I left before her, we had made a connection. I was so surprised later in the day to find she had stopped by my husband's business and dropped off a handwritten card to let me know she also received good news and how much it had helped to talk that morning. I felt fortunate to also know I had friends that prayed for me and checked on me. I came out of a stressful situation feeling an immense amount of gratitude.

While I do not wish a health scare on anyone, I pray that you too experience an overwhelming experience with gratitude this week especially. My hope is that you are surrounded by those you love and that you have time to sit back and breathe it all in. Take time to express that gratitude - you never know who will be deeply touched by your thanks.

And if the thankful scenario above is not where this holiday week leaves you, if you are alone or broken or discouraged or scared or angry, please know that we are building a unique little community of faith that wants to care for one another. Please let me know if you need help this holiday season, or just need a friend or a word of encouragement. Everyone of us is fighting a battle of some kind. Our job is to care for each other, just like so many did for me this week - even strangers.

If you want to feel supported by the love of friends old and new, consider joining us for Bucket Club. Details are below for a wonderfully fun, once a month group for just this kind of purpose. I'd love to have you. Or, if you would love to be part of an effort to be Friends Helping Friends, stay tuned for some new ideas coming soon.