Thank You

Two Thanksgivings has to be the best part of being married to an American. I never really paid much attention to American Thanksgiving until I started living with an American, but besides the extra turkey and stuffing, the nice part is that it makes me stop and think, another time this season, about the things I'm thankful for - And the thing I'm most thankful for this season, is you - my friends and family.

Thank you.

I know it's overdue, but when I was young I was taught that it was polite to give a thank you card to people when they gave you a gift.

My time in the hospital after Lily was born was very overwhelming. For any of you who don't know the story, Lily was born about 2 months premature, very underweight, and with a heart condition. We spent about 8 weeks in the NICU. During that time I was given not only many physical gifts, but also gifts of emotional support from many people in person, by text, by mail, and over the internet.

So to all the people who texted, visited, and even that one friend of John's who sent flowers - thank you. I'm sorry I never sent a card. To the family who gifted me the dress we used for Lily's dedication - thank you. To the friends who texted to see if they could visit after I unexpectedly gave birth very early - and then also unexpectedly had to cram into my hospital room (because in a hazy, post surgery, drugged up phase I'm pretty sure I told like 6 people they could visit me all at the same time) - thank you. To the friends who brought me food, gifts, or who just came to sit and visit with me - I wanted to make sure you knew (because I never sent a card) that I'm incredibly grateful.

I thought about doing thank you cards. I have a vague memory of someone writing down gifts I was given at my baby shower - a baby shower which I am also very thankful for. Thank you to my best friend and all the women from church who helped to put that together. I'm not sure where that was written down. Maybe if I'd remembered I could have sent cards. I have a cousin (who also sent a very sweet gift, thank you) who is very good at things like Christmas cards, and thank you notes, and organizing group gifts - and I'm sure she could have kept track of everything. I was so overwhelmed with everything though, that the best I could do was a heartfelt "thank you" and a hug if the person was in front of me.

Now I need to take a moment to thank someone by name, in her own paragraph - this paragraph, this awkward paragraph in the middle of this piecemeal, all emotion article (that will probably get VERY edited by my loving husband and in-house editor) is going out to my friend Rachel. Rachel came with me to every difficult appointment that my partner couldn't be at. Rachel sat with me while the cardiologist gave us the diagnosis for Lily's heart defect, and then took me to brunch to let me process and to repeat what the doctor had told me. Rachel was always checking in with me to see how the pregnancy was going, was there the day after Lily was born (in that awkward heap of loving friends) and continued to visit and bring me pastries through the whole 8 weeks I was in the NICU. Rachel, I can't thank you enough.

Lastly, to my mom who stayed with me for 5 and a half weeks in the NICU. My mom who was with me for the Down Syndrome diagnosis, for all of the foot swelling, and the hard moments, and the birthday ice cream in the parking garage. To my mom who had the grace and strength to push me in a wheelchair for a month and then push me out of it and tell me I could walk on my own again - to you I owe the biggest thank you. I couldn't have gotten up and started going on my own again without you.

So with all of that said, when we pause at Thanksgiving to say what we're thankful for, my contribution will be that I'm thankful none of you seem as hung up about not getting a thank you card as I am about not sending them.