I know I’m British and Thanksgiving isn’t our holiday but I will always take any opportunity to be thankful because if I’m honest I often find gratitude is one of my tools for survival. By being thankful I get reminded of the joy, not just the heartache. It’s easy to focus on the brutal and forget the beautiful. So today I do want to give thanks.

My heart is blessed and stands with the NHS although we lost Daniel to Covid I wouldn’t have had him for so long as I did without the care dedication and love he received from the Drs and nurses we encountered. Some of those people are now my dearest friends and while I’m not really part of the medical world anymore ( well besides my own dodgy health) I will stand by them as they fight for better pay and conditions. I can truly say nurses are the core of the NHS and without them it will not survive.

I’m thankful for fostering and for adoption for blessing me with one of my greatest gifts. Without these systems, so many children would not be loved and cared for. Again whilst I cannot stay in this world I am forever inspired and thankful for them.

I’m thankful for the probation service especially my team, working in this service for the last five months I have witnessed some amazing dedication to rehabilitation and hope and I’m not just talking about for those we support. I have been lucky enough to be blessed with a manager that I really respect and who understands my brain (not always easy) but also a team that have taken a broken woman and reminded her of what she still has to offer. To listen to me when I have my Daniel moments and hug me when grief overwhelms. This wasn’t a thing I wanted to bring to my new profession but grief, well it plays by its own rules. I am so determined to learn, grow and move forward in this service following the examples of those I work alongside.

I am thankful to some amazing people who have been working with me to heal, to honour my pain and also to celebrate my determination. How I love our deep spiritual conversations even when they keep me away thinking upon them. You are all so incredible .

Of course I’m so thankful for my family, we have faced more pain than any family should ever have to face yet we know and hold on to how lucky we were to have Daniel and Livvy of course in our lives. Again whilst our family life is so different we will rise from the ashes and remember and honour Daniel by living like he did with laughter and giving the best hugs ever.

My Daniel, how i will always be so thankful for you. My dear beautiful boy how lucky I was, I am to call you my son. You taught me so much and my heart misses you so more than words could express but I am trying to live as you taught me, authentic and vulnerable, these are the super powers you reminded me I had inside of me. I miss you my gorgeous boy.

So yes whilst I’m not American I am incredibly thankful on this Thanksgiving day.

Sometimes it’s good to take stock of our blessings and give thanks. Gratitude is good for the soul.

What are you thankful for today?