Grâce à Toi

The French expression «grâce à toi» converts to our expression “thanks to you.” It’s used when expressing gratitude for something given which has resulted in a significant benefit to us.

However, the expression «grâce à toi» is literally translated as “grace to you.” And so it is with that expression today, in the face of the rollout of mass vaccinations to inoculate us against the COVID virus which has altered our lives, that I stand back and defer.

I am retired and can stay home and self-regulate my exposure to others. Health care providers, first responders, essential workers, and medical researchers have had no such freedom. And without their diligence and bravery, going to work every day in the face of the pandemic, I would not have had the benefits of access to medical services, public safety, food, necessities, and now, the miracle of this vaccination which will eventually allow us all to return to normalcy.

I am grateful every time I see a tractor trailer carrying supplies, every time I hear an ambulance or police siren, and every time I taste a bite of fruit or vegetable or meat which was sourced through a food supply chain of people I will never meet, but who will forever hold a place in my heart.

As I imagine each of these heroes in line for the vaccine, I say «grâce à toi». I whisper prayers of gratitude for them, for their families, and for their continued health of mind and body as they persevere.

Of course I will register for and take the vaccine. And I will celebrate the freedom which it will give me to resume activities which are, for now, just out of reach. But first I will stand down until others are vaccinated... others who have made the changes in all of our lives less extreme, and more manageable.

Let’s all set our sights on the day we can meet without fear and hug with all our might. And in the meantime, when we think of the heroes of our time, send out a whisper of gratitude and maybe borrow from the language of love with a well-deserved blessing: «grâce à toi!»