CEO Perspective: Thanksgiving 2021

Thanksgiving is here — resplendent with family, food and football! (Not necessarily in that order…) We each have our own formula for how the holiday should be observed.

The foundation for the whole sprawling extravagant celebration, of course, is gratitude. Gratitude is the deliberate expression of appreciation for the goodness we experience in our lives. It is the recognition of all the ways our lives are enriched by the people and the world around us.

Thanksgiving is gift-wrapped in gratitude, an autumnal anchor for hope. The capacity for gratitude and thankfulness recognizes the fundamental goodness in our world that is unassailable, even amidst difficult and complex circumstances.

There are many among us who have experienced loss since our last Thanksgiving; however, it is our hearts that are broken by these losses, not our spirit. I am so grateful to be a part of a community that is strong and committed to healing even when the losses are great.

Many of our team members are working this Thanksgiving — as is the case for every holiday and every single day, 24/7. Thank you. And I hope you find unique ways to spend time with your family and to enjoy the holiday. You personify the heart of Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for the many committed, competent and passionate individuals who share our mission and, each day, take up the task with determination — and yes, even with gratitude, despite many difficulties.

I am so grateful this Thanksgiving. For the blessings of friends and family. For strength and health. For each of you and the impact of the work we do together. For the communities that provide us with places to live and grow and trust us to serve them. For the possibilities and opportunities — however challenging — that present themselves for growth.

And I’m grateful this Thanksgiving for our clinicians and team members who, on this day of thanks, are caring for our patients in all the many ways and places of care where we serve our communities. Being always present for our patients is one of the joyous challenges we face in fulfilling our 24-7-365 mission, which is only possible because of committed and compassionate clinicians and team members.

Thanksgiving is a milestone of gratitude in the calendar, as well as a time of hope. At Thanksgiving we look back on the roads we have traveled together, we take stock of our greatest gifts and blessings, and we turn our hearts to the future with renewed optimism and confidence.

Happy Thanksgiving!