Reasons to give Thanks
2017 has been an interesting year so far and still 5 weeks to go. As I reflect back on all the traditional reasons to give thanks, there are a couple of “out of the ordinary” events for which I am especially thankful.
Midday June 23 when I had finished cleaning up a fallen tree in my front pasture I sustained a mild heart attack for which I am grateful. I know it sounds strange but I will explain in a moment. I am thankful for my wife, Kathy, who recognized the symptoms and got me to the hospital. I’m thankful for the Emergency Room people at Union General Hospital who got me stabilized, packaged up and on the way to Northeast Georgia Medical Center later that evening.
I’m thankful for all the professionals at the Ronnie Green Heart Center who identified the 75% blockage in the left main artery that likely would have gone undiagnosed without the heart attack. I am thankful for Thoracic and Cardiac Surgeon Thomas Wolfe and his team for the successful double bypass surgery. I’m thankful for the nurses at Pruitt Home Healthcare who got my cardiac rehab started as soon as I got home. I’m thankful for Laurie Saylor and her team of sadists in the Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Unit at Union General Hospital for 12 weeks of pushing me to return to a normal level of strength and stamina. So a whole bunch of thanks for “out of the ordinary” event #1.
Event #2 is much less dramatic but definitely more significant. On October 14, 2017 my bride, the aforementioned Kathy, and I celebrated 50 years of marriage. We had some interesting times in that half century mostly caused by me and resolved by her. Some fun, some not so much. Most of the successes I have had along the way would not have been possible without her support, her confidence in me and most of all her love. For that and so much more I am thankful.
So as I reflect back on 2017 I am thankful for my bride and for being alive to start the next half century with Kathy.
Happy Thanksgiving 2017 to my fellow GeorgiaPol contributors and to our loyal readers.
About Author
IrishPat
Patrick Malone is a Business Advisor and Leadership Mentor headquartered in Blairsville, Georgia. He co-hosts Mountain Daybreak and Mountain Mornings, weekday news programs, and hosts This Week in Blairsville a weekend program on WJUL/WJRB. He is a mentor in Union County High School, serves on his church council and writes a monthly column on leadership in the animal healthcare industry.