Chair File: A New Depth of Gratitude

This year, with so much to worry about, finding time for gratitude seems almost impossible. The irony, of course, is that we need it now more than ever. We just need to look for it.

It’s found in the caregivers who have continued to serve through all these many trying months, in daunting circumstances and in exhausting ways … 

In the support teams working from isolated or home offices, who have shown an unflappable commitment and a vital flexibility to get the job done … 

In the many frontline team members who keep the wheels turning and who guide patients and guests through the processes that keep us all healthier and safer …  

And in anyone who is not only doing their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but who is also actively sharing important messages of precaution and prevention with their friends and loved ones …

When I’m able to take a moment and look, it’s easy to find gratitude everywhere. 

But, as author Gertrude Stein noted, “Silent gratitude isn’t very much use to anyone.”

So, instead of quiet reflection, I’ll be grateful out loud, on behalf of our AHA Board of Trustees, as well as every patient and family member across this country who puts their trust and life in our hands: Thank you. 

Thank you for the brave and committed professionals you are. Thank you for the hard and good work you do. And thank you for the effort you continue to put in. Even though it’s difficult. Even though you’re tired. Even though it seems like too much.

Because the tragic fact is that this week nearly 260,000 American households will observe the holiday with one particularly painful reminder of all we’ve endured this year. As a result of COVID-19, those 260,000 families will be missing a loved one around their Thanksgiving tables or Zoom gatherings. If yours is one of those families, please know our AHA family sends our deepest sympathies and our hope for healing in the months and years to come.

This Thanksgiving, we urge you to stay safe. Consider changing any plans you may have with extended family and instead opt for a smaller, quieter, and safer gathering with just your immediate household. We’re at a tipping point in the country and every decision we make personally has a ripple effect on all of us. Please do your part and encourage others to do the same. 

Until next time, I wish you all a happy, healthy, safe, and very grateful Thanksgiving.