Gratitude in the Trenches

I’m not always the easiest person to build with. I move fast. I expect excellence. And sometimes, I need someone to remind me I’m not infallible even if that means grabbing me by the collar and calling me out on my own blind spots.

So this week, before the country drowns in cranberry sauce and auto‑replies, I want to say thank you.

Thank you to the people who hold me accountable when I miss the mark. The ones who tell me the truth even when it’s not easy. The ones who don’t confuse loyalty with silence. You’re the ones I trust the most.

Thank you to the ones who build quietly in the background. The ones who pick up the slack when things fall apart. The ones who don’t need or want credit, but deserve all of it. You hold more together than most people ever see.

Thank you to the ones who said, “You’ve got this,” even when I wasn’t sure. To the ones who stayed. Who reached out. Who gave a damn when I needed it most. I haven’t forgotten a single one of you.

And thank you to the ones who encouraged me to finally talk. Boast even. For years, I didn’t know to speak about what I’ve done. I downplayed it. I moved on to the next thing. I let the work speak even when the work was invisible to everyone else. It took a background check (and lots of questions) to force me to write it all down. Even now, I struggle to share. So thank you to the ones who pushed, prodded, and reminded me that telling the truth isn’t ego, it’s legacy. Having my daughter suddenly makes legacy far more important to me than  it ever was.

Gratitude isn’t performative. It’s remembering who picked you up when no one else noticed you’d fallen. It’s honoring the ones who helped build the version of you that could stand again.

So if you’re still in the thick of it -leading, serving, struggling, building - I see you. I respect you. And I’m thankful for you. We don’t get through this alone.