ThanksLiving: Feeding the Fire

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope your day was filled with blessings, good food, and family and friends.

This Thanksgiving I've made a vow to live with thanks in my life. As wonderful as it is to give thanks and be grateful one day a year, it is much more meaningful to live a life full of thanks.

Each day this month on Facebook I have said something I was grateful for. It's amazing how much this simple activity forced me to own the blessings in my life. It's easy to let life's challenges get us down.

I plan to continue this daily thankfulness from now to next Thanksgiving and see how it impacts my life. No, I won't fill up everyone's FB Newsfeed. I bought a journal for my daily thanks.

This last year has had many ups and downs for me, and many of those are continuing. My life is in quite a state of flux right now. My husband is in between jobs, and my middle daughter is facing a lot of challenges with her EE diagnosis. But I've found it's easy to let stress and fear rule the day.

And I've never appreciated EASY. I always tell my children that anything worth doing, worth having in your life, shouldn't be easy. If it's easy, we take it for granted and never truly appreciate it. Don't get me wrong, things worth doing shouldn't feel impossible... just challenging.

Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

This Thanksgiving, I'm grateful for all the people in my life. I truly believe there is a reason for every person who enters our lives. Sometimes that person causes pain, but we learn from it. Other times, they bring happiness that makes us grow. But I'm most grateful for people who inspire my self-discovery.

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. Albert Schweitzer

A special thanks to each and every one of you who light my inner fire. Without you, I'd be a dim bulb flickering.

What are you grateful for today?

Wishing Everyone a Merry Little Christmas

Why reinvent the wheel? This song says it all, and says it beautifully. Judy Garland brought it to us first in Meet Me in St. Louis, a 1944 musical. 

We mean every word and wish everyone the very best of the season and many blessings in 2012. From our family to yours:

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas*

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Let your heart be light

From now on,

Our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Make the Yule-tide gay,

From now on,

Our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,

Happy golden days of yore.

Faithful friends who are dear to us

Gather near to us once more.

Through the years we all will be together

If the Fates allow

Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.

And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

* Music by Ralph Blane and lyrics by Hugh Martin.

Showing Gratitude As 2011 Draws to a Close

2011 has been an amazing year for me. Thanks to the wonderful writing and reading community, I have learned so much about the craft.

I wanted to express my gratitude in a fun way. Writers are:

Generous: It never fails to amaze me how giving authors and readers are. They are generous with their knowledge and their support.

Resilient: A true writer writes. They don’t let a less than stellar review or any other obstacle keep them from the craft.

“It is impossible to discourage the real writers—they don't give a damn what you say, they're going to write.”  Sinclair Lewis

They give a damn and process input, but you can’t stop the truly passionate writer.

Aware: Every moment in life adds to a writer’s story bank. Living life is invaluable.

Teachers: When they find out new information, they pass it on. They don’t covet knowledge, instead they use blogs to pass on what they are learning in this ever-changing industry.

Inspirational: The support from my writer friends keeps me going. When I have a bad writing week or stumble through parts of my story, they are there to encourage and give me that much-needed push in the right direction.

Thankful: The writing community loves readers. We know without fellow book lovers, our jobs would be less rewarding.

Unbridled: Writers access their heart and passionately release it through words.

“Words are the voice of the heart.” Confucius

Dedicated:  The writing spirit is contagious, especially when you see people who write through all life's obstacles.

Efficacious: Writers “have the power to produce a desired effect.” Words are the power.

“The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say.” Anaïs Nin

As 2011 comes to a close, I want to thank all my newfound writer friends for their support. You know who you are. And a special thank you to readers, especially those who have read Depression Cookies.

I am particularly grateful for the following writing communities I found this year: Kait Nolan's A Round of Words in 80 Days, Rachael Harrie’s Writers' Platform-Building Campaign, Michelle Rafter’s Blogathon, the SheWrites community, and Melissa Foster’s WoMen’s Literary Cafe.

Thankful for the Big and Small Things: ROW 80 Check In

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am focusing on gratitude. Today, I packed my three kids in a car at 4am to avoid DC traffic. If you've read this blog before, that's enough said on the topic. Just in case you haven't, please check out my post: Death, DC Traffic, and Public Speaking.

We are heading to my mother's house for Thanksgiving, but all my friends and family will be in my thoughts.

I am grateful for many things. First the big things, and then a fun list of the small things.

The Big Things
* My three beautiful daughters.
* A wonderful marriage to a great husband.
* My friends and family, both far and near.
* The freedom we enjoy in America, and to those who put their lives on the line to protect it.
* Health. I'd be especially grateful for more of it since my family is in a two-week spree of at least one person being sick.
* My writing community. Your unselfishness is inspiring.
* All the places I've lived. Beyond the people who have touched my life, I also have experiences I would never trade.
* My faith, and my ability to use it for good.
* People who choose to put good vibes out into the world. Negativity is easy.

The Small Things
* DVD players and all electronic entertainers (I am, after all, packing three kids in a car for six hours).
* Mechanical pencils. I hate a dull pencil, and these have saved me hours of sharpening.
* Food, in so many shapes and sizes, but especially baked goods.
* Books. They've brought both entertainment and knowledge into my life.
* Hair Dryer/curling iron combination. Again, I'm all about efficiency.
* Computers, although it can be a love/hate relationship. I can't imagine life without them.
* Red ink pens. Editing just wouldn't be the same without them.
* Elastic and cotton. So much of my wardrobe would be obsolete without these materials.
* Fake flowers. Unfortunately, I kill the real ones.
* Vacuum cleaners. Not only do they suck up filth, but they teach those little toy pieces a lesson every now and again (and my kids for leaving them defenseless).
* Slip-on shoes. Have I mentioned efficiency yet?
* Diet Coke. I don't drink coffee, so consider it my cup of joe.

I'm sure I've missed many, but the list has put me in the right mindset to hang my head on Thanksgiving day and truly say thanks.

*****

I am also thankful for my ROW80 writer friends and for our fearless leader, Kait Nolan.

Quick ROW80 Update

Writing/Blogging: I wrote five posts in advance so I could enjoy the holidays. A lot of writing, but little went to my WIPs. I hope to get some writing done this weekend and maybe even some writing during the two six-hour car trips.

Miscellaneous: I'm taking books and hope to get some catch up reading in.

Exercise: I am running a 5K Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning so I can eat, eat, eat. All my no sugar rules go out the window for one day. I am visiting my mother after all.

Hope all my ROW80 friends have great updates and a lovely Thanksgiving. A special cheer and well wishes to those doing NaNo. The finish line's in sight.