Editorial: Thanks and Gratitude

— by Lin McNulty —

When “thank you” gets bandied about many times during a day, how, then, when it is the most heartfelt and sincere, does it get expressed? What is the method for making that extra special “thank you” stand out from all the rest?

That’s where I find myself after a 12-day hospital stay at St. Joseph in Bellingham. There are so many people who contributed to my recovery, most of which, of course, do such work in a normal day, and are no doubt used to hearing “thank you.” It’s not that I want my thankfulness to stand out from all the rest; it’s that I want my thankfulness to be fully expressed as coming from my heart. And a simple “thank you” seems so inadequate.

I am grateful that:

• There was someone here to call 911;
• I passed out in an open area of my small cottage and didn’t hit my head on anything more than the floor (breaking only my nose);
• I was the first of three practically simultaneous 911 calls to OIFR;
• The weather remained calm long enough to allow a safe medevac;
• Bellingham is only 10 minutes away by helicopter.

For me, I am fully aware I am currently living in a blissful state of gratitude, but again our language fails to adequately express that. Upon returning home, I called OIFR Paramedic Patrick Shepler and the team to express my thanks; the only words that were available to me were “thank you,” and the few tears that came to my eyes and the fact that I choked up a bit still couldn’t express the depth of my thankfulness.

This is the year when I truly understand the meaning of Thanksgiving.