A Time to Give Thanks

I stopped by here a few days ago but was having a really tough day. I remember sitting here thinking, "Things are really rough right now, I'm not interested." Now, however, I know I need to take the time because I have plenty to be thankful for.

I am so thankful that I have a beautiful, smart, funny, caring, happy, HEALTHY baby girl who will be 2 in February. So many mothers aren't as fortunate, and struggle to help their sick child. This time last year I was one of those mothers when my daughter was hospitalized for twenty four hours which were some of the longest and scariest hours of my life. There is nothing scarier than knowing your child hurts and you can't do anything to take away the pain yet every fiber of your being and soul wants nothing more. I spent my time wanting to simply absorb her pain - give it to me, I can take it, she's too little! We spent six hours in the ER, with her screaming in pain, unable to comfort her or determine what was wrong. I've never felt so helpless in my life as I watched her suffer and endure the racking pain that engulfed her tiny body. I will never forget how much she screamed and cried as they tried to insert a catheter, an IV, and a stomach tube into her tiny body while all I could do was whisper to her, hold her close and cry with her, praying that she would be okay.

The pediatric ICU was a very scary place that night, listening to the child right next door, who was in so much pain, she screamed and cried for three hours. I remember a little girl about eight years old with sad brown eyes, there due to heart problems. A teenage boy had cancer in relapse. The parents looked exhausted, and their faces pinched with worry. My daughter, in comparison, was there for something relatively minor - her bowels were impacted and severely constipated. They gave her medication that gave her immense relief and we were able to leave about twelve hours later, knowing that she was healthy and wouldn't suffer any lasting damage as a result. Everyday I hope and wish that we never have to experience another emergency visit like that and that the children who have to be there are able to heal and go home healthy, as we were able to.

I'm also thankful for my friends and family, who are scattered all throughout the US - New York (uncle & his wife, several cousins), New Hampshire (Libby's grandparents), Florida (My father and his wife along with numerous friends), California (my sister, my two nieces, my nephew, my brother-in-law, and my best friend), and Arizona (my niece and her new husband who is stationed in AZ right now). I am so lucky to have so many people who love me, even from afar. I am lucky to have a best friend of thirteen years who is like a sister to me and has helped me every time I've fallen down, who sometimes understands me better than I understand myself, and loves me no matter what stupid stuff I might do (or not do).

Last but not least, I'm thankful for me. For a woman who has suffered so much abuse at the hands of her parents, including sexual molestation by her father, and various abuses by others who've come into her life over the years, to know that I am healthy, relatively happy, safe, and free of those things is something I can't even express enough gratitude for. To have battled through so much and to have SUCCEEDED against these odds is a miracle that is not wasted on me. I'm grateful for my business and that all my hard work is slowly paying off.

Thanks for the opportunity to sound off about this and to take the time to recognize the blessings in my own life.

Shelly Keyes

Be sure to check out the 2008 Winter Festival!

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