Thankful Thursday - Three People

Today there are three people for whom I would like to express gratitude.

The first is a friend called Katy. She made the most beautiful bouquet for me when we got married, charging us only for the price of the flowers. I am so grateful that she gifted me her time and her skills to make our wedding day special. I still have my bouquet, dried and stored safely. Whenever I see it, I remember the day I became a Mrs, but I also remember the kindness and generosity of my friend.

Second is a lady called Ruth. I began following Ruth's blog, Mixed Bag of Allsorts, back in 2012 when I first took part in the Keep Britain Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt. I read her posts and it was like reading my own story. She too suffers from IGT (insufficient glandular tissue) and had blogged about her journey supplementing her son whilst maintaining a breastfeeding relationship. It was such a relief to discover that I wasn't the only woman in the world whose body had failed her baby. Ruth patiently answered all my questions, guiding me and encouraging me. And when she wrote about supplementing and nursing her second child, whilst continuing to feed her eldest, I was so grateful that I had her going ahead of me to show me the way before M was born. Ruth's instructions on how to use the SNS were so helpful too. I will always be so thankful for this wonderful lady, who having never met me in real life, was so willing to help me feed my babies.

The third is another lady. A friend of my mum's, Anat. She lives in Israel, but when I was younger, she lived near us and was a part of my mum's La Leche League group. One year Anat invited us to join her and her family in celebrating Hannukah. It was amazing! My first taste of potato latkes; spinning the dreidl; the music and the prayers and the candles - it was beautiful and tasty and moving, and it inspired in me a love and strong interest in Judaism. I am so grateful for Anat's generosity in sharing her faith and traditions with us, as the experience led me to discover the richness of the Jewish culture, which in turn has allowed me to enrich my own faith in the Jewish Jesus.

In writing this, I have thought of so many more people I am grateful for, but for now these three lovely ladies will have to suffice.