Thanksgiving thoughts
Reflecting on gratitude
Hello friends,
Today is Thanksgiving. It has been a low-key holiday for our family this year, focusing more on the ‘thanks’ than the ‘feast’. But it was also a welcome opportunity to reflect on all the things I’m grateful for.
What’s New
A poem about Thanksgiving
A poem inspired by a cat’s bottom (yes, really)
How I’m Doing
It’s been a bit of a tricky week. Things kicked off with an unexpected to visit for me to A&E, but fortunately everything checked out okay, and I am fine!
It was definitely scary (seriously: no one wants to be in the emergency department), but I was absolutely blown away by the level of care and compassion I received.
I’ve definitely been bouncing back a bit slower than normally this round of chemotherapy. I just keep reminding myself I only have one dose of chemo left. If I can hang in there through this last dip, my body will already be moving towards healing as the new year approaches.
A Thanksgiving Moment
Today, we went around the table to say what we are grateful for. This is my favourite Thanksgiving tradition. For me, the events of this week showed how lucky I am in the people in my life. From both near and far, in ways big and small, so many people are finding ways to let us know they care.
Rose expressed her thankfulness for unicorns.
And Zach commented that this year, instead of going through lots of things, he just wanted to focus on how grateful he is for all the people who devote their lives to medicine. The doctors, nurses, researchers, and other health care professionals who spend a lifetime helping sick people. This one really moved me to tears - I couldn’t agree more. This work isn’t for everyone, but the fact that so many people give themselves to helping others - even after the stress and trauma of the past couple of years - makes me grateful for each and every person who chooses this path.
Good Art Friends (aka cool things by cool people)
If you’ve got kids, I really recommend the recently released ‘Great Britons’ by the brilliant Imogen Russell Williams. I ordered a copy for Rosie, and it is absolutely fantastic!
If you like hauntingly thoughtful pop music (think Bjork?), check out the new album Nocturnes from Faultress, recently released.
The London Playwrights Festival, led by the inspirational Kimberley Andrews, is has been raising money to put on a Festival of new writing later this year. (While I’m not currently involved with the day-to-day of London Playwrights Blog, I’m so impressed with the way they continue to champion underrepresented voices in the industry.)
Thanks for cheering me on - and a very Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
For now,
Alli