Thanks for the Ones that Help

Thanksgiving is fast approaching. by now, we have all bought ingredients for a feast: turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, green bean casserole, sweet potato pie. We will spend hours on Wednesday cooking and getting our house ready for family, friends and neighbors. We will laugh, reminisce, and some of us will watch football. It is a family holiday and a family tradition. Most of us, also, have some sort of tradition of listing the things for which we are thankful. Some of us just go for the pecan pie. And that’s Okay too!

I am thankful for so much in my life. My blessings are so plentiful, I wouldn’t know where to even begin. Instead, I want to send a heartfelt thank you out to those who might not hear it often: social workers, therapists, teachers, psychologists, nurses and those who help others.

Helping is often a pretty thankless job. If you got into a helping career expecting to be appreciated profusely by those you serve, you are, by now, sorely disappointed. In over 30 years of social work, the ” actual thank you! s” were few and far between. And I don’t just mean the clients, but our organizations are not really great at remembering to value the ones that serve.

So, to keep it short and sweet, I want to tell you helpers what you mean to the world. Whether or not you actually hear someone say it, doesn’t take away from the realities of the difference you make.

1. Social workers protect children and work to reconnect families. Oh my God, if that is not a calling worthy of heaven itself, I don’t know what to say. You work nights and weekends when others are out having dinner with friends or attending their own child’s school play. You focus your energy on the vision and mission at hand. And you make a difference. Children’s lives are saved because of you. Remember that. Families are given a second chance because of you. You will feel like a failure when some families fail, but I want you to remember that the choices they make are their own. You gave them the tools and the opportunity to thrive. You made a difference. Thank you for your service.

2. Teachers are amazing and also helpers. My little sister is a special ed teacher. She makes such a difference in the lives of those who cannot always make it on their own. She spends so much of her own time and her own money to ensure that these kids get the resources that they need to learn necessary skills for survival. Not only does she teach these kids about the basic educational ideals, but she hosts other learning opportunities for them. The most important things my sister accomplishes with her students is demonstrating to them, that they are important… they have value and they have worth. I am so thankful to her and all the teachers out there for making a difference in the lives of young people.

3. There are so many teens and tweens, especially in the past decade, that have such low self-worth that they self-harm and even try to commit suicide. I am thankful for therapists, who are able to really hear the voices of these broken children and offer them other avenues of expression. Therapists take on the pain and trauma of so many and respond by giving hope. I am so thankful for the therapists who make a difference in preserving life.

I could go on and on. Because there are so many more helpers out there whose mission is to make the world a better, safer, friendlier place. And to those people I say, again, Thank You for your service!

Thanksgiving is not just about thanking God for your own blessings but to thank others for the blessings they bring to the world.

Thank you!

Angie