We had the most incredible sunrise today. Daylight savings depression has nothing on me.
On this day seven years ago, I started a hashtag on Instagram. I posted about it every day for the entire month of November. I asked everyone I knew to talk about it, too. It felt silly but necessary, to explore the who and what and how and what if behind all of those thankful lists I often read and scrolled through and even wrote myself this time of year. Seven years later, #getaftergrateful has over 90,000 posts on Instagram. I’m no longer in the mix, tagging and talking about tenacity and thankfulness. I’m so far removed from that world, in fact, that I forgot about it until an old friend texted me today. Looks like the pebble that fell from my heart and into the internet all of those years ago caused a ripple that met me all over again. I needed that.
He wears my old Vans and sings along to my old punk rock tunes, filling in on air drums and singing the harmonies beneath me. He rations the beef jerky and sips the kombucha I bought him before I picked him up from school. He asks questions about politics and points out rainbows between the mountains. We count four. He soaks in the beauty of his surroundings. He enjoys the hotel and the food and the service, exchanging pleasantries with strangers. He complains not about the hands in his mouth or the missing tooth or the long ride back without cell service or bathrooms. He is polite and conscientious and awake. I love this kid.
Got to write my first board bio…
Born and raised in the Carolinas, Rachael Kincaid visited Homer during college. While she fell in love with the town and hoped to return someday, her boyfriend told her there was no way he’d ever move. Her boyfriend became her husband, though, and fifteen years plus a handful of kids later, they moved to Homer. A nurse practitioner by trade, Rachael Kincaid is the Chief Nursing Officer at South Peninsula Hospital. She holds a doctorate in nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina. Her background ranges from psychiatric nursing to medical-surgical, but the bulk of her career has been in hospice and geriatrics. Rachael’s husband, Christopher, is the worship pastor at Church on the Rock. They share six kids, two of whom are grown and four of whom are growing up in Homer. In addition to evidence-based and holistic healthcare, Rachael loves talking about marriage and motherhood, skincare, the practice of tenacious gratitude, slow fashion, books, politics, pro basketball, and houseplants. She’s 5’2″. She drinks iced coffee every morning. She’s honored to serve on the board at Hospice of Homer.
My kids have been so funny lately. Frustratingly defiant and a little sassy, sure, but also hilarious. Most of the time, I find myself thoroughly relishing their company. As we laughed over lunch at a swanky brunch spot today, I got to hold my neighbor’s baby and then pass her back and finish my mimosa at a leisurely pace. I miss the old days and I like these, too.
Autumn approaches us. I can feel it and smell it and I am not afraid. Last year taught me well; we do not fight the weather. We welcome her.
Happy Thanksgiving from us, which this year included our nanny and her sweet son. Also! A surprise blizzard with record snowfall hit us on Thanksgiving morning, and hasn’t let up since. Also, also! My kids have taken to musical instruments during the pandemic… drums, ukulele, guitar, bass, bells, and three-part vocal harmonies – the whole bit. They had their first gig on Thanksgiving night, performing Christmas carols at my long term care facility. Times are weird and nearly a decade after I started the hashtag, I’m still trying to walk it out in my own life… but the Kincaids are alright.
