giving thanks

(American) Thanksgiving is almost upon us. I usually like this time of year, because it’s a good reminder to reflect on one’s blessings. This year, however, I’m having a hard time getting into the Thanksgiving spirit (and the season of commercialism it ushers in doesn’t help, either).

Mainly, though, my meh-ness has to do with the scraping-bottom, wringing-water-from-a-stone experience I’ve been having. It’s not that I’m not grateful, it’s more that I’ve run out of ways to express it. The words aren’t there.

Which makes this post a bit harder to write than it otherwise might have been. Actually, all my posts in the last few weeks have been hard to write.

But I’ll take a stab at it, because thankfulness is worth practicing.

I’m thankful for good health, good finances, my husband’s job, the roof over our heads, the food on our table, and the extras my family is able to enjoy (from the occasional eating out to my kids’ activities to visits to fun places). I know that these things are not a given for many many people all over the world. In fact, someone close to me is in a tough situation involving a job loss right now.

I’m thankful for the people in our lives who help, support, and pray for us–from church members to long-time friends to relatives. I’m thankful for the small kindnesses of strangers and the goodwill of neighbors–people who will run an extension cord to your house when you’re out of power or buy batteries from your nervous, fundraising Cub Scout or just hold the door open for you.

I’m thankful for my husband, who works hard, is very involved in our children’s lives, volunteers, gives me time and space to write, formats my e-books–and who just signed up for a book design class so he can do print layout for my books. (Yes, he really is that awesome!)

I’m thankful for my children. Sir I. with his quick math brain, his high energy, his zest for science, his enthusiasm for life. For Miss M., who, like me, makes up stories and stays up way too late thinking about them, who is a strong and beautiful gymnast, who puts together wildly colorful outfits. For the Baron, with his smile that chases the shadows away, for his determination to keep up, for his kid logic and sideways thinking.

I’m thankful for all the people who’ve helped me along my writing and publishing journey, from editors who bought stories or sent encouraging rejections, to betas and proofreaders, to cover designers and book reviewers. I’m thankful for my blogging friends who’ve given me space on their own sites to talk about writing, books, my genre, and my work. Thank you thank you thank you!

I’m thankful for my readers. I’m thankful for every review, every blog comment (er… except the spam, though Akismet usually takes care of those for me), every tweet or like, every time someone recommends a book of mine.

And I’m thankful to God for these blessings.

How about you? What are you thankful for today?

Side note: Today, I’m at Candace’s Book Blog, where I discuss self-publishing and cover art, and recommend some fun indie reads.