The Best Village Ever

Gratitude: “the the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”

These past couple months I have felt a lot of gratitude for all the support our team received in raising money for the Boston Congenital Heart Walk and for the help I receive from my family and friends in planning for, working towards and showing up on walk day. It takes a village and I have the best village ever.

The thing is, though—I get overwhelmed. I find myself feeling a little out of sorts leading up to and after the walk. This year, I realized it has to do with being thankful

How can I ever express my thanks to those who support me? The walk is just one event in all the events my heart has created, not just for me but for those who care about me. I see the craziness in supporting a major event to raise funding and awareness for my heart—and the hearts of so many others.

I feel there is no way to return the favor, show them how thankful I truly am. And not just for sending emails, sorting t-shirts, and cheering on walkers, but for caring enough about “my” issue to make their lives crazy for a few months year after year.

The other heart events like hospitalizations and tired days come without choice. But to take on raising funds and advocating, now that is a choice. And I know my supporters care about me, even with my crazy, broken-hearted life, but to go above and beyond—to put out the money, to make their lives crazy—well, there is no way to express how thankful I am.

So with gratitude, thank you to my village... if only I could find the right way to let you know I could not walk this heart life without you.