Thanksgiving Thoughts

I’m not writing to promote anything today, or upcoming events, or goals for the rest of this year. Today, I just have an overwhelming sense of thanks and gratitude for all the good things in my life. Ups and downs are inevitable, but Thanksgiving means stopping to take stock and focus on all the positives.

I live in an enviable part Canada where hurricanes are as unique as paralyzing snow storms, where ethnic diversity is welcome, where people can live the lives they choose. Of course, it’s not perfect. Conflict and disagreeing values are inevitable, but basically most of us get along just fine.

Today is our family Thanksgiving dinner, although it won’t be the traditional turkey I’m used to cooking. Given that we’ve torn apart our living room and dining room for renovations, dinner will be ham and side dishes and gathering into the kitchen and family room.

I’m thankful for my family and for a healthy life. I’m thankful for my passion for writing, and for the best part-time day job I’ve ever had. And I’m thankful for all of the people I’ve met this year. I’m very thankful to be able to donate to charities like the Union Gospel Mission. I was once one of those children who wasn’t sure when or what the next meal might be. I’m now grateful for those tough years. It’s made me a better person.

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!

Thinking about Thanksgiving

It sounds kind of cheesy, I know, to stop and take note of all that I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. But the thing is that being thankful means being grateful, and gratitude is a healthy thing, especially in an increasingly turbulent and uncertain world. It’s a time when I’m not thinking about what I want or desire to accomplish, but what I have, and when it comes right down to it I have much to be thankful for, personally and professionally.

Of course I’m grateful for my family and my home and my health, and the food on our table. As a person who has sponsored children through the Christian Children’s Fund and reads every Union Gospel Mission newsletter (one of my favorite charities), I’m well aware how many people are going without the essentials on this planet. This fact is constantly with me.

After over thirty years of writing and having my first traditionally published book arrive just six months ago, my gratitude has soared on the writing front. I’m thankful for all of the people in my critique group who’ve come and gone over the years. Everyone one of them has contributed to my life and helped me become a better writer. I’m thankful for my publisher and for the terrific editors I’ve worked with.

I’m thankful for social networking and for the opportunity to let people around the world know that I exist; that I have something to say and want to hear what they have to say. I’m thankful for the opportunity to be able to write full time and to experience the challenges of life as a working, professional writer. I’m thankful to Cheryl Tardif for encouraging me to try blogging about three years ago. 394 blogs later, I’m still enjoying it. And I’m thankful to readers who use their limited and precious time to read and support myself and others. For me, writing has never been about competing, but about supporting one another. And for that I truly am grateful. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

THE OPPOSITE OF DARK, http://bit.ly/i983XE, now out on paperback at http://tinyurl.com/30dlx64
FATAL ENCRYPTION, http://tinyurl.com/ddzsxl
TAXED TO DEATH, http://tinyurl.com/czsy5n