Thankful

It’s officially holiday season, which means fun, food and family – not necessarily in that order. Since it’s Thanksgiving, I figured I would talk about giving thanks.

I’m thankful for a lot of stuff. More and more as time goes on. My family, my friends, my church, my health etc. Yes, you did read that right, I am thankful for my health. How many of your vital organs can fail but you’re still be able to sustain a full and fun life? The answer is the kidneys.

While I do not understand why I am being put through the trial I am in, I am still thankful because it really could have been worse. Although it may not seem like it, I have been shielded in many different ways from the full brutality of this disease.

Based off of what doctors see, I should have been dead long before I even got in that line at Hershey Park. (If you don’t know the story ask, I would love to share it.) Cliche as it might be, I’m thankful for life. “But everyone is thankful for life” – Well, now it’s everyone and one.

Then there’s my family and friends. Not everyone knows this, but my best friend Jalen Mauk was in the hospital every single day for several hours a day during my initial diagnosis. He has no clue how instrumental that was in my strength and ability to get through it. 

My family has been there for me through every step of the way. Dropping everything in a moments notice without even thinking about how it would effect them. That includes my mom who gave me the kidney for the first transplant. 

I feel like sometimes when our life begins to create itself into a mess, we get so caught up that we forget to be thankful for the stuff that has remained even when everything else has fallen away. I might have lost a year of school and missed out on a thing here or a thing there, but I have gained so much more than what I have lost. 

So when it’s your turn at the dinner table this year, mention some of the good that is there in spite of your bad. There is always some good in the bad. Always.