HOPE Gives Thanks

By Liz Ferrell, Development & Community Relations Specialist

It’s the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and many of us have already begun the holiday weekend. Heck, some of us have already begun the Christmas holiday!

You may do a daily countdown throughout November of things that make you thankful. You may consider Thanksgiving its own holiday, of equal weight with others, and use the day to spend time with family, and contemplate and give thanks for your blessings. You may be really “old school” and celebrate Thanksgiving the traditional way, taking time to honor the Pilgrims, the early settlers who first brought the hopes of personal freedoms to the eastern shores of this continent. Long before the United States became a nation, these hardy souls shared the first Thanksgiving feast with Native American friends, grateful for a year of bounty after much hardship and loss.

You may see Thanksgiving as the beginning of the Christmas season: a day to pause, give thanks for your blessings, and take a breather before kicking off the annual crazed, commercialized Christmas steamroller. You may watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving immediately followed by A Charlie Brown Christmas.

However you observe this quieter, more humble holiday, it is always appropriate to take stock of the people and things that make life good and bring our hearts joy.

This year’s holiday season is different for me, because for the first time in my life, neither of my parents are alive. I am thankful that over 35 years of living and working in the greater Nashville area, I have developed friendships that have stood the test of time. I am thankful for people who know and love me, warts and all, who make a point to gather around me and assure me I am not alone. And I am grateful for what one of those friends told me many years ago about loss: that God’s grace is sufficient for our needs as they arise. I am thankful for His love that will not let me go, for it has not let me go.

Some HOPE employees took time to share their hearts about the things that make them especially thankful this year.

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I am so thankful for my salvation through Jesus, my family, my job and to live in the best country in the world! – Karen Foster, Nurse Practitioner

I am thankful for my Family, Friends and my Salvation this year. – Shanese Breeden, Medical Assistant

I’m thankful for my mom’s health and us being able to enjoy the holidays with her at HOME. – Michael White, IT Manager

I am thankful to be a part of Hope and even more thankful for all the amazing people in my life through Hope. I am also thankful for my family and friends and to wake up and spend time with my loved ones another day. - Brooklyn Smith, Medical Assistant

Running water, a vehicle to get to work, a place to lay my weary bones at night, and my children. And I am thankful to God for never giving up on me and wrestling with me at the ladder. – Lisa Silva, Behavioral Health Therapist

This year has been one of unexpected change with twists I never saw coming, moments that stretched me, challenged me, and ultimately shaped me in ways I didn’t know I needed. It hasn’t been easy, but it has been transformative. Looking back, all I can feel is gratitude.

I am thankful for God’s grace, mercy, and unfailing love. In every high and every low, He has been steady. When I felt unsure, He reminded me I wasn’t alone. When I felt broken, He reminded me I was still held. His guidance has carried me through every step of this year.

I am thankful for my children, who are the brightest parts of my world. They are my reason, my joy, my grounding place. Watching them grow while growing alongside them has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. Their love fills spaces in me I didn’t know were empty, and their presence reminds me daily of what truly matters. I am also thankful for my true friends who pointed me back to God when I was at my lowest, reminding me again and again to keep my eyes on Him. This year changed me, but it grew me. And for every lesson, every blessing, every moment of grace, I am grateful. Here’s to walking into the next season with a thankful heart and the hope that the best is still to come. - Shawna Farley, LPN and Clinical Data Analyst

I am thankful for a God who sees my heart beyond my immediate thoughts and reactions—

One who knows my future and guides my steps, even when the path feels dark or uncertain. I am grateful for HOPE and the opportunities it has given me, and for the chance to be part of work that truly impacts the lives of others. I am thankful for my family and for the friends I’ve been blessed with, both old and new. Above all, I’m grateful for every blessing God has poured into my life, even when I feel undeserving. – Miranda Gooch, Director of Human Resources

I am so thankful for my husband and son who have been such a great support this year with my mom and mother-in-law both being so sick. I am thankful for continued good reports on my moms health and that my mother-in-law is also on the mend. I am also grateful for my pharmacy, Hope, and church families for all the extra prayers and support this year. - Cassie Dyer, Pharmacy Operations Specialist

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I’m thankful for so much this year. First, for my family whose love, support, and care make it possible for me to do this work every day. I’m equally grateful for HOPE, for the coworkers who lift each other up, and for the patients who remind me why this work matters. Being part of someone’s healing journey has been my dream since I was a child, and getting to live that dream every day here at HOPE truly feels like a gift. – Tyler Norris, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

CEO Lauren Smith, who took the reins from HOPE co-founder and former CEO Jenny Dittes in September, wrote the following thoughts, “A Season of Gratitude,” in her November letter to the HOPE staff. She asked me to share it with our reading public, as well.

As the season of Thanksgiving approaches, my heart is full of gratitude for what God has done through HOPE this year. It has been a year of remarkable growth and renewal, not just in numbers or operations, but in the spirit of who we are as an organization.

We’ve experienced tremendous blessings across every part of HOPE. Our patient volume continues to grow, new providers have joined our mission, and we have seen financial stability take root in ways that strengthen our ability to serve. These aren’t just metrics on paper; they are tangible reminders of God’s provision and of the dedication of every staff member who pours their heart and energy into this ministry of healing.

This year also marks a time of transition, as I humbly step into the role of CEO. I see this new season as both a continuation and a calling to protect what has been built and to plant new seeds that will bear fruit for years to come.

In Philippians 1:6, we’re reminded: “Being confident of this, that He who began a work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” I believe this truth applies to HOPE. God began a good work here more than two decades ago, and He continues to grow and sustain it through the hands and hearts of this incredible team.

As we gather with loved ones this Thanksgiving, may we pause to give thanks for the patients who trust us, for the colleagues who support us, and for the purpose that unites us. The work we do is sacred, and I am profoundly grateful to serve alongside each of you.

With heartfelt gratitude and faith,

Lauren

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We at HOPE Family Health give thanks for you, too, and wish each of you a peaceful Thanksgiving season full of love and HOPE.