A few weeks ago, I saw a short article with the title, "Who Can You Thank Today?" The article talked about our upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and about other countries that have "gratitude" holidays, for one reason or another. Then it asked the reader who they could thank today.
That was it. A very quick read. But, as so many other things I read do, it got me to thinking about how I could apply that question to my UC situation.
Three years ago for the November post of this blog, I wrote about Gratitude: Let's Hear It For Indoor Plumbing! In that post, I talked about the many people and things in my ulcerative colitis circle that I was grateful for. But when I think about who I could thank today, it caused me to think about others in my UC world that I feel gratitude towards.
While I expressed thankfulness for G.I. doctors in my previous gratitude post, I would like to add those who work at my local pharmacy. They are my lifeline. From the pharmacist who waves to me from the back of the pharmacy to the checkout people up front who always give me a big smile of recognition when they see me.
The rep from the company who makes my specialty medication who calls me every so often to check on how I'm doing on their medicine.
The people who let me talk about my condition when I need to, who actually listen.
The neighbor who brings me flowers because they remember how sick I was and how much I love flowers.
These are some of the other people I thought about.
When I'm in a flare, I am in terrible pain and unable to move very much. I can't eat a lot so my brain and body are very weak. But remembering the people who care about and are concerned about me helps get me through. Thinking of someone else helps pull me out of that tarry pool of despair that a flare pushes me into.
Who can I thank today? Everyone who makes me smile! Anyone who goes out of their way for me. Every person who shares their spirit with me in one way or another.
Who can I thank today? Maybe if we ask ourselves that question every morning, we will be surprised at what we will find.
© Colitis Senioritis 2025
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