The Essence of My Thanks

The Essence of My Thanks

We say thank you’s everyday
For opening and holding the door
And showing the lost the way
But do we mean it from our core?

Has these words become meaningless?
Two words we just say with our lips
Spoken too few and voiced in excess
The significance away we strip

But on this day we should mean
Every word, every syllable and sigh
As we string and put up our Christmas green
And cook a turkey and pumpkin pie

So for me, I give my heartfelt thanks
To the people I admire and adore
These humans that I highly rank
A faith in humanity they restore

First I give my gratitude to the brave
Who fight, sacrifice, and defend
Their precious lives they gave
To strangers, family, and friends

And to my mentors – you gave me a gift:
Ability to hold onto compassion in a world so dark
To bring light and my work to places of rift
Energy to start a movement and create a spark

I thank those on the plateau
Who taught me selfless love and strength
To be open-minded and expand what I know
Travel the hard miles and the length

Thank you to my Baylor friends
For the memories of late-night Czech stop
Pumpkins, baked goods, clothes we lend
Late night dancing, spooning, and Alaskan shops

For supporting and standing by my side
For coffee night runs and staying up late
Especially that one crazy semester ride
And keeping me in a healthy state

And to the global-minded people of UTHSCSA and SIGHT
To our conversations I raise my glass
Controversial topics and documentaries by night
Our love of diarrhea and fistula class

To my amazing med school friends
I give my most heartfelt appreciation
For our hilarious messages we send
And the memories of gelato and eye dilation

Our dinners and pulling secret santa out of hats
Snapchats, red wine king’s cup, splashing in the rain
Donuts, Austin, pictures of naked mole rats
Burnt ovens, first horror movie, and dissecting veins

To my best friends who have stood by my side
Through ups and downs; we’ve been through it all
You’ve been my rock and my trustworthy guide
I’ll always be there for your every high and fall

My cousins I give another wave of appreciation
Because despite the distance, we are so close
Our laughs and memories are our foundation
Bonded by our travels, inside jokes, and woes

And thank you to my family for your love and smiles
Thank you for the numerous joys and delights
Thank you for your support through my trials
Now let us enjoy our food on this Thanksgiving night

Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone!