JADES Network

Thanksgiving is often seen as a time to reflect on the things in our lives that we should be thankful for. It is a time to remember more of the blessings and less of the trials that visit us during the year.

This Thanksgiving also happens to also be my son’s birthday. This year, Brandon would have been 14 years old. I could think about all of the Thanksgivings that I have celebrated without him, the birthday presents that went unopened, and the years of memories that do not fill my photo albums. I know that anyone who has had a child die understands the grief that fills our holiday seasons. It is so easy to go to that place of loss and sorrow at this time of the year. Instead, this year I chose to see, that even though I only had Brandon for 2 ½ years, I am so thankful that I had him for 2 ½ years.

I am thankful that because of Brandon my life was changed, I am thankful that because of him I am a better person, I am thankful that because of him, I can help others who are in pain, I am thankful that because of him, I have new friends, I am thankful because of him, I have a very fulfilling job, and I am thankful that on this Thanksgiving day, what would have been his 14th birthday, I can celebrate and be thankful for the amazing child that he was.




Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Melody Beattie