Thursday, November 27, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving! Five Things You're Grateful For.

Oh sure, I know a lot of you don't celebrate Thanksgiving or don't celebrate it this time of year. And yes, I know there are problems with this particular holiday. But for me Thanksgiving is about taking the time to celebrate all that is good and right with my life. I don't know about you, but most of the time I am focused on all that is not right -- and what I need to do to change that. I can be so focused on what has to be fixed that I forget to notice all that is perfectly good just as it is.


There's nothing wrong with taking the time to acknowledge -- to celebrate -- that there is much to be thankful for.


Here are five things I'm thankful for:


1 - Another year spent with my family. My parents are old enough now that I'm particularly happy to see them at every holiday table. And my nieces and nephews are getting to an age where they may well choose to spend holidays with friends or -- eventually -- new family. So I treasure these last holidays while we are still in stasis.


2 - Having enough -- more than enough -- to eat. I wish this could be true for everyone.


3 - Good wine shared with good friends.


4 - The fact that I am still passionate about writing. I love my job. And I know how fortunate I am to be able to say so.


5 - The Film Preservation Society. It's important work and I'm so glad people have undertaken this cause. Because the protection and preservation of art is no small thing to a society.


What are you thankful for this autumn? What do you have to be grateful for?





17 comments:

  1. 1. I am thankful that my mom is the BEST cook in the entire world.
    2. I found the love of a wonderful man.
    3. That I have a roof over my head and food in my cupboards.
    4. I have made wonderful new friends with this group on FB and GR.
    5. I have a job that I not only love but am still passionate about.

    6. I am thankful you still love YOUR job, Josh.
    Happy Thanksgiving.

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  2. So much of my list is mirrored in what you already listed. I am lucky. I love and am loved by family and friends and I am thankful. I guess on my list I would place the parades as well. Watching them takes me back to my childhood. The joy. The excitement. The colors and sounds. Wonderful.

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  3. I am thankful for you, Josh, and all the other authors who write books that help other people through life.

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  4. Happy thanksgiving to everyone. Five things I'm grateful

    1. This country that gave me my life back and gave me the opportunity to make it better.
    2. For being able to spend this holiday with my kids and grandkids together.
    3. To have the hope to have my son's partner with us soon so we can be together after all these years.
    4. For keeping my son and husband health good.
    5. For working in a wonderful place helping people and doing what I love.
    6. For having all these,wonderful booksvto read and keep me sane. Thanks authors.
    Taty

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  5. Five things I'm grateful for
    - My parents who are healthy and enjoying their retirement to the full
    - Friends who are there at good and bad times
    - A job, maybe not the best or more interesting in the world, but it pays the bills
    - The sense of humour which helps me through good, bad and worse
    - Books: Never a boring moment in my life any more

    Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

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  6. I am grateful for:
    1. Family
    2. Friends, old and new
    3. Good health (both mine and that of the people I care about)
    4. A warm, dry home filled with food
    5. A good life. I am happy, and I am loved and love in return.

    Happy Thanksgiving! :)

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  7. I'm thankful for the good friends who kept dragging me back into life this last year even though it would have been easier to let me wallow. They even got me past the dreaded first date and didn't let me hide from that either.

    And, for people who write. They never cease to amaze me with the worlds they create and how often I want to explore them.

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  8. 1. A good job which I enjoy and where I am appreciated.
    2. Family in good health.
    3. My dogs and cats, even though they drive me crazy sometimes.
    4. My friends and acquaintances on the internet. Josh's group, Twitter, Facebook. I love reaching out to people used to do it with paper and pen and a stamp.
    5. My creative drive. I love making things. Maybe I can channel that to writing things, too, someday.

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  9. At the moment I feel thankful for everything, sorry if I'm cheating ;-).

    Have a nice time, dear Josh!


    Ciao

    Antonella

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  10. Right now I'm grateful for

    1. My husband who loves me even though he has seen me in my absolute worst behavior — again and again.

    2. The fact that our parents are still healthy, active and enjoying life.

    3. I love my job. Every single day I learn something new!

    4. My wonderful online friends whom I've gotten to know through Josh. Thank you so much for that, dear.

    5. Beauty that can be found in ordinary, everyday moments. (I'm eating apple pie while typing this and hubby is singing a joyful tune while reading the paper.)

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  11. Five I give thanks for:

    1. Family
    2. RL and online friends
    3. Good health
    4. RL and online work I love
    5. Knowing you, Josh; your graciousness as a human being, your brilliance as a writer

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  12. Well, there's no Thanksgiving here where I live but we still eat turkey. Not today though, on Christmas Eve. And the custom is totally adopted from you guys which is fine by me as I totally love turkey and it's quite healthy.

    Let's see... hm... I'm grateful for many things but at the top there's: my health, my family, books (specially yours), my job and the fact people all over the world are finally coming to the realization environment trouble is a real thing that needs communal effort to be solved.

    Happy Thanksgiving Josh! Enjoy your time with your family!

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  13. 1. I am thankful for every day, without pain or nausea
    2. I am very thankful, that Hans is there to help me, when I am not so thankful on the other days.
    3. It is so good, that I have found you Josh and through you all these wonderful people! I am very, very thankful for this!
    4. Tales, stories, book... I am so glad I can read and that what I read takes me to every part in the world, to mystery, to romance let me travel, brings fictive human beings in my life, new ideas...
    5. I love my work, and I am thankful that I have work
    6. I am thankful and amazed, that I have friends.

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  14. Happy Thanksgiving Josh and all! Even though I'm sick today, this day and every day I'm grateful for:

    1. My family - both the one I was born with and the one I've chosen.

    2. Laughter with family and friends.

    3. A job that - although it can be busy and stressful at time - allows me to own a home and have (some of) the things I want.

    4. 1980s music. We've had an 80s mix going all day and it brings back fun memories.

    5. Alcohol. #dontjudge

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  15. We don't have Thanksgiving here but practising thankfulness is something I love doing, so.. So many things to choose from…

    1. My daughter, one of the loveliest beings I've ever come across. I am constantly awed by her. And my parents and other family, who are great.

    2. My Siamese cat who's got me through some very bad times with his constant devotion and outrageous demands and always makes my day better.

    3. My friends who remind me to laugh and have fun.

    4. My work because I'm lucky enough to love it and having enough for my needs makes things happier.

    5. The internet because of all the writers I've discovered through the internet, and having so many books I love because reading is one of my favourite pleasures.

    I feel this barely scratched the surface of things I'm thankful for, which is pretty much everything.

    And I'm really looking forward to the audio of TBWTPT :-D.

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  16. Well I especially thank for living and look straight ahead despite the daily disappointments that sometimes make difficult many things. And thanks for I have discovered reading M / M and enjoy it, but not as much as I wanted because my English is not excellent, but I know the Spanish like to appreciate the good reading. And especially thank for having the freedom to say what I think, because as Don Miguel de Cervantes said: Liberty is one of the most precious gifts which heaven has bestowed on man; with it we cannot compare the treasures which the earth contains or the sea conceals; for liberty, as for honor, we can and ought to risk our lives; … captivity is the greatest evil than can befall man.

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  17. I am Asian and do not celebrate but a very good thanksgiving to you josh and all others who do

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