Genuine Gratitude on This Thanksgiving

 

Has it become trite to list all you are grateful for each Thanksgiivng? Every November, we hear others tell us to be thankful, and we say we are, but to what depth does that gratitude go? Do we merely parrot the words every Thanksgiving, or is our gratitude genuine? 

Some families have each person at the Thanksgiving table offer one thing in life that they are thankful for. It's a tradition, and sometimes family members roll their eyes and think "Oh no, not again." Family members then state one thing for which they are grateful. Some will be carefully thought out whle others might be humorous and still others nothing but fluff. Even so, families who practice offering thanks at the table have created a lifelong memory. 

As for me, I'm grateful for more things in both my everyday life and my writing life than I can possibly list. 

 

In my everyday life, I am grateful for:

• parents who gave me wholesome values
• siblings whom I love--two of whom have passed away
• children who have done well, have good marriages, and have given us grandchildren
• four grandchildren whom I love dearly and who have made me proud
• a strong marriage 
• aunts, uncles, and cousins who have all been a special part of my life
• never having gone hungry or without shelter
• being a Christian
• having a wide circle of friends
• never having a serious health problem 
• and so much more...

In my writing life, I am grateful for:

• being able to write stories and more that entertain or help others
• the ability to keep learning as a writer
• the many writer friends I have made over the years
• the joy of continuing to learn my craft
• the satisfaction I get from writing
• having become a published writer
• writing a variety of stories, essays, poems, memoir, articles and stories for children rather than one category
• living in a technological world that makes being a writer easier than ever before
• the Kansas Authors Club where I have learned, taught, and made myriad friends over the years
• and so much more...

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and much to be grateful for. Perhaps you'll make your own lists. Some of us will be with family this Thanksgiving while others will spned the holiday alone with hope that next year, we can once again gather as families without the fear of catching the covid virus. 

NOTE:  I'm taking a little break. The next post will be on Monday, November 30th.