Give Thanks in All Circumstances

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances." -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Book &
 "Thank You" cards

In my quest to avert my attention from pregnancy to anything else I came across a book that caught my attention.

As a child my mom had strict rules about thank you cards.  You gave a verbal "thank you", followed by a hand written card before you played with the toy or used the money.  I'm always surprised, as an adult, how many parents did not instill this value (it's not hard, really)!

"A Simple Act of Gratitude" caught my attention for a variety of reasons - first and foremost, it was on the shelf next to a favorite of mine, "Sarah's Key."  It was also a seemingly easy read and brief text that I could pick up and put down without worrying about forgetting the story line.

After reading the first chapter I knew this book would be perfect - positive, uplifting, motivating.

The title sums up the 220 page text - saying "thank you" can change your life.  John Karlik, the author, reaped many benefits from his year long challenge - some tangible, others in his heart.  This book gave me a refresher from my childhood lesson with an adult twist - "thank you" is for more than just gifts but also actions, kind words, thoughtfulness, honesty, love and many other things.

I decided to challenge myself to thank people who have  made an impact in my life in the past few months - it is an easy list to generate as many people - friends, family, strangers - have been here for me!

Our pregnancy journey has led us to many different doctors: ob/gyn, high risk ob/gyn, fertility doctors, geneticists, loss specialists/counselors and many different nurses and doctors for blood work and surgeries.  Although I can thank many of these people for their commitment to us one person made a lasting impression for me.

I will call him "Dr. Nate" to maintain his privacy - he was my anesthesiologist for my surgery in January.  He not only held my hand, brought me heated blankets and drugged me early (at my request) but also stayed with me for the entire pre-op experience.  He shared with me his personal struggles with infertility and adoption and even checked on me in post-op.

I sent him a thank you card - it was nothing special, just a note to let him know his kindness, gentle bedside manner and attention to my sadness was not forgotten.  I could hardly speak, without crying, when he called me to chat about my card, surgery, pregnancy journey and life.  We spent almost 20 minutes on the phone and he promised to call back in 6 months to see how things were progressing.  I nominated "Dr. Nate" for an Aurora Star after this call and I pray that he wins it!

Karlik says "I received a blessing to heal the hopelessness in my own heart" - a reminder that we have control over our happiness.  We can't change certain things but we certainly can make choices that  help us heal and bring us joy.