Today is World Gratitude Day, an occasion encouraging people and organizations around the world to express thankfulness and appreciation. It serves as a reminder to pause, reflect on the positive aspects of life, and show explicit appreciation for others. For me, it is a deeply personal day, a time to think of the people, particularly the women, who have influenced, helped, and supported me along the way on my slide down the razor blade of life.

At the risk of sounding like I’m delivering an Oscar acceptance speech, I simply must take a moment to thank the Council of the FemdomU Academy for making my submissive’s journey possible!

First, my deepest gratitude goes to Mistress Déesse for believing in me and generously investing her time, energy, and discipline into my training.

Special thanks to Mizz Geena, my Command Domme, who took the time to decipher my class scribblings and decided I was worthy of becoming a contributing submissive. Thank you as well to Mrs. Annie, who guided me through my summer reading list, alongside all the wonderful Dommes at FDU whose challenges constantly push me to innovate my service!

And finally, a very special shout-out to Domme Jessica for keeping a watchful eye over us boys to ensure our safety, and to Mistress Autumn—without whom I never would have fully embraced my role as a proper wolf, complete with furry ears and a tail tucked neatly between two freshly ripened cheeks!

I try not to take life too seriously, and I usually don’t like to share much of my private life. But this year, I want to publicly honor a person who deeply influenced me at an early age and whom I often think of as my guardian angel. She was also the first strong alpha woman I ever met.

My grandmother Marie was the first-born American in our family; her father immigrated to America in the mid-19th century, well before Ellis Island became the primary disembarkation point for Europeans. For a woman born in the early 1890s, she was remarkably well-educated, finishing the 10th grade. She worked her way up to a position as the private secretary to the President of the United Fruit Company, a major American corporation that traded in tropical fruit—primarily bananas—grown on vast plantations in Central and South America and sold across the United States and Europe.

By her late 20s, she had bought her own house and evaluated several suitors before finally settling on my grandfather. She was very much a woman ahead of her time, reigning supreme as the undisputed matriarch of her family. She was also a woman of immense vision, persuading her husband to cash out of the stock market and invest in a summer house just before the 1929 crash. As an activist suffragette, she campaigned tirelessly for women’s right to vote and championed women’s rights throughout her life. Later, she organized war relief drives after World War II and continuously supported progressive causes.

With both of my parents working, I spent a lot of time with Grandma Marie as a very young towhead. We bonded over Sesame Street, my helping her in the kitchen, and bowls of vanilla ice cream. I relished the time I spent alone with her; it felt incredibly special just to be in her presence. Grandma Marie taught me to be kind to strangers, how to be of service, and, most importantly, the value of respecting and showing deference to women.

She lived with us during the final year before she passed. I fondly remember the wonderful conversations we had about her life and her struggles as a woman. She was a real maverick, an assertive woman long before society tolerated assertive women. Above all, she was the first alpha female I ever met, and in some ways, I think she took a special liking to having me help her. As my guardian angel, she has kept me safe throughout my journey. For that, and for the many wonderful memories, I am truly grateful.