I here by dub today, Friday, September 27, 2013 as my official Gratitude day.  Today, I’m going to say thank you to as many folks as I can for what they do to make the world a better place.  This shall be fun since I will be attending a National American Lung Association Meeting in Chicago, IL and I will be surrounded with some very incredible people who  inspire and make positive change across our nation.  Here is my open letter to the all of those who help make the lives of my family better!

The chocolate is missing in this photo!  But the mug is from my Food Allergy Mama friend, Jenny, co-founder of the Food Allergy Blogger Conference

Dear World,
I need to say world since I have learned, eaten and enjoyed so many great things from readers, vendors and friends in Canada, India and Australia!  Thanks to the Internet, I can post a woe at any hour and find a friend. I’m grateful for the many good things and blessings that have come my way over the last 13 years of learning how to live and manage life threatening food allergies and anaphylaxis along with asthma.  I’m inspired to see new therapies emerging, better nebulizers on the market, oodles of nut free foods and asthma and food allergy research growing.  I am grateful for…
[unordered_list style=”star”]

• This incredible online community of people who come together to support, vent, explore and walk this journey together.
• The classmate’s parent who call and says, “I don’t know if can host your food allergic child at my house.  My toddler eats PB&J on the couch.  Can we come to your house or meet at the park?”  I love you for not endangering my child and being honest.
• All the fabulous companies that have popped up, many allergy parent owned and driven, that provide allergen friendly foods and treats that taste fantastic!
• For people who sneeze into their elbow–thank you for sharing your germs!  Flu turns into something very ugly in my household thanks to asthma.
• The teachers who pull me aside to honestly share that they want to include my child, but need some direction.
• Friends who call to say their child has a cold, so let’s pass on getting together since a simple cold can mean two weeks of nightly nebulizing for my kids.  My sleep thanks you.
• Lawmakers and school districts who are understanding epinephrine in schools is a necessity, not a luxury.
• Groups like Kids with Food Allergies,  The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Asthma and Allergies Network; Mothers of Asthmatics, The American Lung Association and Food Allergy Research and Education who strive to offer FREE education, solutions and a better quality of living for my kids–two people who they never have met.
• Parents who bring in non-food treats to the school so that my kids are included-not excluded!
• Manufacturers who create online educational games,  apps, better nebulizers and peak flow meters.
• Pharmaceutical companies who provide asthma maintenance and rescue medications and the makers of epinephrine auto-injectors–oh we need you folks badly.  Thanks for the education, refill reminders and action plans that we can download for free too!  Love those resources-keep ’em coming.
• Non-judgemental friends who will talk me off of the ledge when I’m over reacting (image that?).
• Schools who are trying to find the balance and find ways to keep our kids healthy and safe.  It’s not easy with these two invisible diseases.
• Perfect strangers who smile when I ask them to not open up a bag of nuts on the airplane.  They understand my request is important and put their own needs aside for a few hours.
• The friendships that were created over disease that are more precious and will out live any disease.
• Magazines, tea and nut free chocolate.  Need I say more?

[/unordered_list]

There are so many more things I’m grateful for and each and every day of my life I pause and say thanks or a kind word from someone, for my soft comfy shoes or for good friends.  Thank you world for offering good things along with the brutal challenges.  Sometimes I really hate food allergies, asthma and ignorant people but then I find myself surrounded by wonderful people and things that bring me back around to enjoying all the good that grows.
Have a great day world,
Love Caroline

Thank you for being a big part of our journey and story as we all move forward with managing life threatening food allergies/anaphylaxis and asthma!  Won’t the day be glorious when we find a cure for food allergies and/or asthma?  Then I’ll have to blog about chocolate all the new adventures of life.