Holiday Sibling Spotlight
Gratitude
Traditions provide comfort and a sense of belonging. Whether it is Grandma’s famous recipe, a favorite holiday song, a blessing or prayer recited by heart or a story passed down through generations. Rituals bring meaning, nurture connections and give us something to look forward to and hope for.
One of our very favorite traditions at Friends of Karen is creating a gratitude poem with the extraordinary children that we work with. Reflecting on what we are thankful for is a tradition that research suggests actually can lift the spirits. Sharing gratitude strengthens relationships, bottles up those warm, fuzzy feelings, inspires us to relish the positive and helps us recognize sources of goodness, whether it is within ourselves or connects us to something bigger.
The struggles Friends of Karen families face may appear to be a hurdle in recognizing the positive, yet year after year Friends of Karen children show us that love and appreciation so often grow stronger with struggle. That perspective helps these families recognize what fills their hearts with thanks. We are grateful for our own community at Friends of Karen — the resilient families, compassionate staff and volunteers and the generous donors. Together we belong to a community bound by hope and kindness. Comfort and a sense of belonging, to be sure.
We invite you to read the Friends of Karen children’s words of gratitude below. We hope their poem brings you warmth, comfort and a bit of inspiration to your home this holiday season.
We Are Thankful…
We are thankful for strength…
For the beautiful colored leaves…
We are thankful for not carrying sadness today-
I have been here before – others understand me and I’m not alone…
We are thankful for FOOD! – ice cream, pizza, arepas, ketchup for our chicken nuggets, pasta every day and plates piled high with ooey gooey cookies…
We are thankful for the love around us and the love we carry with us…
Thankful for dreams of you and the treasure of your memories…
We are thankful for giggles and the feeling of excitement…
We are thankful for video games – playing with our siblings even when they win…
We are grateful for cozy movie nights with popcorn, Wicked and all the Disney princesses…
We are thankful to be able to walk, to be able to breathe and be home…
We are thankful for our toys, our Barbies, endless supplies of Legos and a good book…
For art – painting, drawing, getting messy and expressing ourselves…
We are thankful for those who help us and those we help…
We are thankful for Friends of Karen…
For our schools and teachers who care about us…
We are grateful for hugs & kisses, bedtime stories & secret handshakes, & epic pillow forts…
Thankful for making my brother smile, even on hard days…
We are thankful for the people we love the most…
Our friends and family…
Mommy and Daddy, Dad & Dada, Grant, our babies, our sisters and brothers, cousins, aunts & uncles, Grandmas & Grandpas, Abuelas & Mimis, Pop & Abba…
We are thankful for Lily, Mason, Lucas, Jackson, Rodrigo, Alessia, Vida, Dylan, Kailani, Jaxson, Angela, Denise, Olivia, Blake, Jonathan, Eva and all the Friends of Karen children…
We are thankful for love, love, love.
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