Fifty Days of Gratitude: Day 5

This morning I read that the National Institutes of Health were going to cut funding that supports research into women’s health, including many robust studies into issues that impact post-menopausal women.  Cancer.  Alzheimers.  I have lost friends and family members to both.  Amazing women. 

I was so angry about this funding being pulled.  I did what I often do and went for a long walk, to keep the anger from just living in my body.  Women’s health issues have been underfunded and under researched and under-supported for far too long.   

This evening I read that the funding had been restored, under enormous pressure from people just like you and me.  People who reached out to their representatives to say that this is not okay.

And while I’m grateful that it was restored, I’m honestly annoyed by the whiplash like ways we are being jerked around in this country by this administration.  In some very misguided attempt to show who has power they threaten to defund and deport and detain, and in many cases they do just that.  And in some cases they reverse course as if to say to all of the people who were impacted…oh never mind.  Just kidding.  It’s cavalier and it’s senseless. 

For this day, I am grateful that this research will continue.  I’m grateful for every person who has been helped along the way and who will live longer and fuller lives because of it. 

Note:  I do appreciate those of you who are reading along through these 50 Days of Gratitude.  We are headed up to the big birthday celebration for our grand-girl’s second birthday tomorrow.  We’ll just be 40 minutes away and only gone for a couple of days, but I’m going to really focus on enjoying every moment with her and with her baby brother and her parents and other family.  See you on the other side of those two birthday candles!