Boo has a boo-boo. A scary one. It made me want to boo-hoo, until it was treated. But on this Thanksgiving Day, I’m grateful for this. Why? Because she’s purring again after five days of silence. Because she reminds us that bad days give way to better days, then good days, and even great days.
On a holiday where we usually recite the standard gratitude list–family, friends, faith, etc.–I’m also grateful for things that didn’t happen. Boo didn’t die. Post-election violence didn’t occur. My friends are still my friends.
Maybe Boo is a bell-weather for our divided country, a symbol of resilience and capacity to heal. Maybe we, too, will heal over time. Maybe divided families are remembering, as they share a table today, that what they share is greater than what they don’t. Maybe. Today, that’s enough. The story of Boo’s bounce-back and a few other random gratitudes in photos below…
Boo is a 15-year-old rescue who weighs six pounds. She’s traveled thousands of miles by boat and tens of thousands by car. She hunts. She’s tough and adaptable. But she really didn’t like this collar. It’s called an Elizabethan collar (e-collar), named after…
…the huge collar that Queen Elizabeth 1 wore in the 1500s, which portrayed social status. I’m grateful that trend is over! I don’t think I’d like it any more than Boo.
When I first discovered the sore — actually two of them, most likely animal bites — I couldn’t get her to the vet quickly so treated her with antibiotic cream and put her into an infant onesie. She didn’t mind it but easily slipped out. The next solution…
….was this soft collar from a neighbor. (I’m grateful for my generous neighbors in Arlington, Va.) That black square thing attached to her collar is connected to my phone so I can track her. It also finds my phone, which is handy. I hope to keep her inside now, but that will be hard since she’s been an indoor/outdoor cat all her life. Thus, the tracker.
Another recent reason for gratitude, an unexpected encounter with Anne-Mari Paster, Immediate Past President of Finlandia Foundation National, who led the successful campaign called “Saving Finland in America.” My family archives are safe because of it, and my hometown in far-north Michigan is now a kind of HQ for Finnishness in the U.S. I’m grateful for my ancestors, and what I continue to learn about them, because it helps me understand myself.
Also grateful for this reminder that popped up on FB recently from my last professional speech. It was on Human Trafficking, my last assignment in the federal government. I’m grateful for the awareness of this issue and for the part I played in increasing that awareness. Who isn’t concerned about this issue? See? More in common than not. Sometimes I forget that. So, yes, grateful for each reminder.
This is Navy-speak for “good job.” B-Z, for short. B-Z to all of you who are with people today who voted differently than you, seeking reasons to be grateful rather than angry. B-Z to Boo, too, for reminding us that healing is possible.
For Many Moons 
Beautifully put, Mary. We have weathered these political upheaval before. This is the Great Experiment, after all, and we’re still here.
I’m so glad boo is on the mend! Bennie has ear issues and skin issues. He’s 14. Hes elderly. We are dealing with vet visits and antibiotics.
Happy Thanksgiving! I, too, am thankful for things that I didn’t have to suffer, then pray for those who do. Big hug
Teri
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