Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds. ~Theodore Roosevelt
A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues. ~Cicero
Next weekend Canadians celebrate our Thanksgiving Day. I was going to write this article to celebrate that day of thanks, but instead I think it should be read today- on the last day of World Milksharing Week.
Today I want to write about thanksgiving. Not about turkeys and stuffing, but about gratitude and deep heart felt thanks, about the appreciation that comes with recognizing when we have been given an amazing gift. The gift of breastmilk.
Today I want to say "Thank You" to an incredible group of women: Our Milk Donors.
Having been involved with milksharing for a long time, I have had the honor to get to know many of these wonderful women. I've heard their stories, learned about where they come from, why they do what they do, and what inspires them to keep doing what they are doing. I am always in awe of their ability to give something so precious.
These wonderful women come from all walks of life, all races, all religions. Some of these women are single mothers who are struggling to raise children by themselves, yet they take the time out of their day to pump or express milk for other babies. Some of these women are working moms, who take their pumps to work so that even there they can continue to give milk to other families in need. Some of these women have struggle with milk supply issues themselves and have turned around and become donors to other mothers once they've built their supply up again. Some of these mothers have continued to provide milk for their "milk babes" even though they are going through tough times: divorce, death in their family, loss of jobs, or many other terrible experiences. Just last week I read a post from a donor mother who was being rushed into hospital for emergency surgery, who took a last second to ask others in her local community to help get milk to the baby she was pumping for, because she didn't want this baby to go without milk while she was in the hospital. Earlier this week I wrote about Jennifer, who is donating hundreds of ounces of liquid gold to babies in need after birthing her sleeping baby.
These women give a gift that is priceless, and they give it willingly, out of love and out of an altruistic need to share and help other babies thrive. They deserve our gratitude and recognition for the incredible work that they do to give human milk to human babies.
I would like to ask everyone to take a moment to think about our donor mums, to think about their sacrifices, and maybe think of a special way to say "Thank you".
And tell us about it!! Next week on Thanksgiving Day, I will post out a special message from all of my readers to all the wonderful women who are giving the most precious gift they can: the gift of their own breastmilk.
