It is in the month of November that we, in the United States, celebrate Thanksgiving. Giving thanks should have more than a month when we celebrate all that we have for which to give thanks. When I think of giving thanks it takes my mind to thoughts about the great gratitude that I have for the many people who have been so inspirational in this work. One of those people was actually my spiritual director, Msgr. John McNulty. My thoughts about him come to the surface in November because he went to heaven on November 4, 2005. Msgr. had an amazing ability to look into my soul. He initiated the Respect Life Office in the Diocese of St. Petersburg and I can say, without a moment’s hesitation that his true respect for every human life was profound and had no comparison. During my time of direction with him, he helped my soul to soar to levels that I never believed possible.

It was also during those years that the opportunity to become a Creighton Model practitioner surfaced. In the beginning, I was very hesitant. There was my large family, my full-time job as an RN and my volunteer work with the Diocese. Msgr. prayed as I discerned what to do. One day he called me and said, “Diane, are you losing sleep about this?” Surprised that he somehow knew this to be true, I said that I was! He then told me that this was the Holy Spirit intervening and that we both needed to rest! He said that he thought that I should accept the challenge. That was in 1988! All the years since, I have been personally involved in the fertility journey of over 1,000 women/couples! To call it an honor does not even begin to touch the surface of my feelings about this work. I give thanks to Msgr. McNulty and to each and every client, intern and practitioner with whom I have worked. The saying is that if you love what you are doing, you will never work a day in your life. This is true for me and this work.

It is a privilege to teach, to laugh, to celebrate and yes to cry with my clients when they are dealing with the unthinkable. It is also with great thanksgiving that we are able to welcome more Interns into our education program. We will be conducting an Education Phase I and II in January! We will be teaching another bilingual Spanish-speaking intern and the need for that is so great! Huge thanks go out to Fr. Kovanis and his generous offer of allowing us to use rooms in his lovely Parish Center at Prince Of Peace Catholic Church in Sun City. Karen, one of his assistants, is queen of hospitality and we all benefit mightily because of them.

Yes, there is much to give thanks for on a daily basis and this work makes that so evident to me. Please keep this work, our Center, the clients (especially those who are grieving and those suffering with infertility), and our new Interns in your powerful prayers.

Know, too, that we are extremely thankful for all that you have done for us and for this Center.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!