I AM THANKFUL!

On this last Thursday in November we all sit down with family, friends and loved ones to mark Thanksgiving Day. It is a day of celebration, traditions, family, but mostly a day to remember that for which we are grateful.

When you live with a chronic, incurable, painful and difficult to treat disease it’s often challenging to dig through the pile to find the gratitude. But if we stop, take a moment and give it some serious thought I know there are things we all have that we can and should be thankful for today.

So if you are celebrating, in whatever way you and your family celebrates, stop and take a deep breath, close your eyes and think about what you are most thankful for. Even through all the hard times, what is it you are thankful you have in your life?

This is what I am Thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day!

My IC “Family” - Each of you who I have met along this journey has had a positive impact on me and learning to live with my IC. You are all a source of encouragement, willingness to share and help others and have kind and generous spirits even through all your own struggles. So often thinking of others before yourself, you all go out of your way to support me and my Awareness efforts as well as those of so many other IC patients. From all the lovely and kind messages you all send me, to nominating me for a WEGO Health Activist Award, to following my Blog and all I do on Social Media - you all lift me and my spirits every day as well as those of your fellow IC "family"!

The ICA - Well, where would any of us be without the hard working, dedicated staff that makes up the ICA. The information they provide to us via the ICA website, Facebook page, Twitter, Pinterest - you name it - is so valuable I cannot put a price on it. I talk to people all the time who tell me they were lost until they found the ICA and all the excellent information they provide. They talk to thousands of IC patients on the phone every single day; lobby Congress for increased research funding and work tirelessly to help Raise #ICAwareness for us. Thank you ICA!

My Support Group - Well, simply stated, this group of men and women are a never ending source of Support and encouragement and a demonstration that together we CAN get through this! I will forever be grateful for my wonderful Support Group Leader who decided one day she wanted to start a group and put that flyer up in my doctor’s office. It has changed my life for the better forever!

The Love of Dear Friends - You all know who you are. The friends that have stuck by me through thick and thin. The friends who go out of their way to stay in touch with me, call me, visit me and have adjusted THEIR lives to accommodate my special needs mean more to me than words can possibly say. The list is shorter than it used to be; that’s OK. For me it’s about QUALITY, not quantity. And the friends I have are so dear and supportive and never have given up on me. My love and gratitude for each of them means so much!

And last but NOT least - MY FAMILY - I am blessed and thankful for the most wonderful, loving and supportive family. I could not get through this without each and every single one of them! They are a constant source of support, encouragement, patience and love!  And of course, to say I am thankful for my “sainted mother” is an understatement of epic proportions! Without all my Mom does for me, I have no idea where I would be! She is the captain of my ship, guiding me and helping me navigate each and every health challenge that comes my way! I love you all!

These are the things for which I am most Thankful on this very special day of the year - Thanksgiving Day!

I hope you’ll all take a few moments to reflect on what in your life you are thankful for. It’s there if you just look for it. 

"Thanksgiving Song" - Mary Chapin Carpenter