[Originally sent out on Thanksgiving Day, 2020]
It is a high priority for my family to sit down and eat together as much as we can. Typically, we can make this happen at least four nights a week. My three daughters’ activities prevent us from doing dinner together every night. I really cherish this time to come together around a table and talk as a family. Sometimes we will sit there for hours as one conversation evolves into another. We have adopted a tradition of beginning our evening meals together with a unique prayer-chant-gratitude-toast thing. I call it a “thing” because I’m not really sure what it is. It lasts for about 2 minutes and it always starts with everyone doing jazz hands. Yes, jazz hands. We then all say a slew of phrases in unison while we do claps and hand gestures in perfect synchronization. Part of this includes falsetto words, quotes from famous movies, and hitting the table twice followed by a clap in the rhythm of “We Will Rock You” by Queen. We finish up this thing with more coordinated hand movements and words, some being made up gibberish, then raise a glass while we say, “To making it count! Here! Here!” I am completely serious. We do all this every time we eat together. It has evolved and become longer over all these years that we have been doing it. I suspect it will continue to grow in the future. Guests who join us for dinner are invited to follow along as best they can. We encourage them to do their best and go with the flow. It is often amusing to see their reaction as they first witness this spectacle. You can clearly see a mix of bewilderment, confusion, intrigue, humor and “What was that?!” in their eyes. Typically, guests who often have a seat at our table, have eagerly learned and practiced our gratitude routine so they can join in the perfectly synchronized fun. In the middle of this thing we do, each person at the table says something, or many things, they are thankful for. Gratitude is such an important energy. This practice helps us to remind mindful of this energy throughout our house. Usually, one of us will speak up and offer what we grateful for and then we rotate clockwise until everyone has had to opportunity to contribute. There are always three things that I am consistently grateful for. Usually, there are many more ideas I offer as well, but there are always three things that are included every time I vocalize my gratitude. The three things I am most grateful for in my life are:
My family.
Healthy food.
My office and every client that trusts me to support them with their care.
My family- There is not much I value more than my family. After 25 years of being married, I actually still like my wife and continue to learn about her every day. It has been amazing to witness my three daughters grow and become who they are. I cherish my time with my girls and I know the years go by so quickly. I know that in the near future, one seat at our now full table will be empty. And then another. And then another.
Healthy food- You may already know I consider the food we eat as our main medicine and our main poison. Healthy food is a critical key in all health. Without healthy food, there simply won’t be health. Period. I am grateful for my ability to nourish my family and the ones I love with food that will support them in being healthy and happy. Healthy food is the best medicine I can offer them.
My office and every client that trusts me to support them with their care- This is a big one for me. When I say “my office” I am not only referring to the walls and interior fixtures at my clinic in Raleigh, NC. More so, I love her energy. Yes, I refer to my clinic as a “her” and “she”. Feminine energy is one of nurturing, healing, comforting, creating and life-giving. This is why The Center is a “she”. My wife knows that my office is the “other woman” in my life.
My office has her own energy. She cares for me and allows me to care for others. She allows me to be of service and help those in need. She gives me the opportunity to strive to be the best version of me I can be. She allows me to challenge myself to understand what is in and out of balance in the lives of my clients and to figure out how to help them best. She grants me the opportunity to support my family. She offers me a venue to really genuinely connect with others. She offers me fun.
So, you can see she, my office, is extremely important to me. I am deeply grateful for her and all that she means to me, my family, you, and other clients.
I of course recognize that she, my office, can only be all that she is, because of you. It is you and my other clients that breathe life into her. It is because of you that she has a reason to be. It is you who offers her purpose. It is you that empowers her to serve others.
And for this, I am deeply grateful for you.
Every day that I sit around the table with my family and we do our prayer-chant-gratitude-toast thing, I offer my gratitude and appreciation to you. I am so very grateful that you have allowed me to participate in your health care. I am honored you trust me. It is a privilege to partner with you as we walk through the ups and downs of life together. I am grateful to learn from you and I am grateful to offer you any guidance I can. I am grateful you support my office, which in turn, allows me to support my wife and daughters with healthy food. It is because of you that I am able to care for what is most important to me.
I am deeply grateful for you every day.
Especially on this day, Thanksgiving, I want you to know this.
Thank you.
I wish you, your family and those you love a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Quinn