Happy Thanksgiving a day to give thanks for all the blessings that we have received and to thank God for his Grace for his peace surpasses all understanding. What are you thankful for on this blessed day? What Thanksgiving means to me is just that the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors, especially to God. It seems to me that in today’s society the true meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas gets really lost and I think Thanksgiving more than Christmas is the biggest loser of all. It’s truly not about Black Thursday and Friday, it’s not about dropping ones wallet at every retail store you can find.

The idea of Thanksgiving Day is to “be thankful. be grateful  but one needs to ask themselves just who are we being thankful to? So many good things or opportunities happen in our lives we are thankful to our spouses, parents, children and friends. For having a job, for our children’s teachers but whatever we do we must never leave God out  He is in there somewhere. He is the reason. I know that there are some people who may not believe in God but there truly is and must be something so much greater than that of ourselves.

Proverbs 3:5,6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” or
Psalm 100:4, 5a – “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good.” a few of my favorite bible scripture passages that remind me that whatever we do should be in and for his glory not ours. So as you gather with family and friends this Thanksgiving day remember what the true spirit and meaning of the season is. Give thanks to the Lord for he has blessed you in so many ways.

I am thankful for the wonderful blessings this foundation has received but also what we are going to be able to give back because of the multitude of blessings that came our way this year.  Thankful that I have had the opportunity to connect with the most amazing families and the most beautiful blessings of all our Children. Thankful for the love, support, encouragement of someone so very special to me and he knows who he is that saved me from self destructing, that showed me the way back and how to move forward and help me follow the path I am on today for without him I would not be where I am today. He stood by me in good and hard times and for that I am so very thankful and so grateful we have both had our share of personal battles but came out stronger because of them.

Thankful for the medical communities that have opened their doors to me and so willingly listened and got on board to help us in our quest to help those living each day with epilepsy for it is truly a blessing to have connected with the best in the field. Thankful for the opportunities to speak to the media and do my part in that It is time to bring epilepsy out of the shadows and to the forefront and make people aware of What it is, What you can do about it, How you can manage it, How to teach the proper Seizure First Aid and make everyone aware of the symptoms to look for and educate on being and getting seizure smart.

Epilepsy has affected my life in a way that I never imagined or expected but the most important thing it has done for me or the biggest impact it has had on me is that it has opened my eyes to just what a struggle it is to live with this day after day, 24 hours a day 365 days a year and know that your life can change in an instant and for many of us it has changed us forever.  Why do I do what I do? Well because of a beautiful little boy named John who taught me that making a difference and advocating fighting for what you believe in is the best way to honor and remember those who could not fight for themselves.

I am thankful for all our warrior angels for if it was not for them I would not be fighting as hard as I do. John, Danny, Scott Jr., Chelsea, CeCe (Cecelia), Adaleigh, Jordan, Piper, Joey, Donna, Eric, Kyle, Ryan, Savannah, Ezekial, Sam, Christopher Adam, Brayden, Joseph, Connor, Dallas, Bradley, Ken, Lydia, Giovanni, Marissa, Lizzy, Tina, Matthew, Clayton, Carolina, Samuel, Gabriel. Thankful to God that I can glorify him by being a voice for those that can not that I can make a difference for so many people and thankful for very special little children that make my heart smile and give me a reason to celebrate life everyday.

Thanksgiving means to me sharing and celebrating the accomplishments the milestones, and as strange as this may sound I am thankful for Epilepsy as had it not been for this disease I would not of crossed paths and becomes friends with so many that we are now a family of Warrior parents. Oh don’t get me wrong I wish none of the Children have to suffer day in and day out because of epilepsy but I am thankful that it has brought us together. We are a nation of Warriors and I thank the Lord for that he gave me the tools to work and do the job he needs but I took his lead and ran with it and that is the biggest thanks of all the ability to lead the way to one day having a cure.

From my family to yours we wish you all the most wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving with your loved ones and friends.

For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson ”

As you gather and express your gratitude never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words but to live by them. It is not what we say about our blessings,but how we use them and that my friends is the true measure of our thanksgiving.