Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all who have celebrated this wonderful Holiday. Today has always been a time of reflection for me. I have so many things to be thankful for. There are so many things in my life I have to admit that I take for granted, but today I would like to take a moment to share just some of these things I'm thankful for. 

This will be my first year in a long time not working in a retail store (yes, I work. However much I like to write, I know I will not be living off of royalties anytime soon.) I am beyond thankful that I didn't feel the pressure today of having to turn in early to get up first thing in the morning to go to work...I'm also thankful that I was able to have this day of thanks off from my job. (For those who had to work today :-( I do feel for you.) 

I'm also thankful for the roof that is over my head and all the belongings my husband and I have been able to obtain on our own. Things haven't always been easy for us, but as I gaze around my house, I know that we are blessed. 

Today started at 8am when my phone began to buzz with well wishes from many of my loved ones. There is nothing more warming than to know someone is thinking of you and has taken the time to let you know. 

As I sit here writing to you all, I know I must mention how thankful I am to have this ability. I may not be a New York Times Best Seller. Hell, most of you may not have even read any of my books, but I am still thankful for the chance to express myself through writing. To paint a picture of the wonderful stories that I have come to love...even if it seems as if I'm talking to only myself sometimes. 

There are so many other things that I am thankful for but foremost is my family. This year after we said grace and everyone filled their plates (my parents decided this year instead of turkey we would have prime rib) I marveled in how our traditions have changed. Growing up, after grabbing our plates we would all settle down at the dining room table and start the Christmas season by popping in a Christmas movie. When we were teens, the movies shifted more to the new latest and greatest movie. I realized today that in the last few years we have not turned on a movie. We didn't even all set down at the table. (Are you thinking, well how big has your family grown? I can tell you that it has grown by one and that would be my husband.) Where am I going with this you ask? Have we forgotten our traditions? Of course not! As our family has matured, our traditions have evolved too. While we ate, we still joked and laughed, maybe even more than we used to since there was no movie playing, drawing attention away. The best part was that we were able to reminiscence about our past, including our family pets that are no longer with us (We miss you so much BT and Que). So as my brother and I sat at the table, by ourselves, I marveled at how times had changed but was so thankful that I have such an amazing family that I would always have such fond memories to reflect upon. 

What are you thankful for this year? I hope you had a wonderful, relaxing, reason to celebrate to today.     

Happy Thanksgiving!