10 Things I’m Thankful for

Inside: A short and sweet list of a few things I’m thankful for. 

Every Thanksgiving Day I like to pause and reflect on what I’m thankful for. What follows is a short list, in no particular order and certainly not exhaustive by any means. More what’s on my mind at the moment, whether this year or the season of life I find myself in. So without further ado. . .

10 Things I’m Thankful for

1. I’m thankful I live in a safe and peaceful corner of the world. I love living in rural America, in the Midwest, on a farm in Missouri. There’s no place I’d rather be.
2. I’m thankful for the people God has placed in my life. People who love me despite my bad moods, mistakes, and shortcomings. How blessed I am to be loved by some amazing people–my family and friends! (You know who you are!)
3. I’m thankful for a beautiful autumn this year. Wasn’t it lovely? One of the best I’ve seen in some time.
4. I’m thankful for a family without drama and feuding. Interesting, I got into a conversation with a cashier I know at Walmart who is so used to seeing Mom and me together (Mom’s absent this week, visiting my brother and his family for Thanksgiving), and somehow in the course of our short discussion in the checkout lane, we ended up on this point–how thankful we are to have a family who loves each other and gets along, because there are plenty who don’t.
5. I’m thankful for work I love to do, whether editing books or writing or taking pictures for posts. (Hopefully I’m getting better.)
6. I’m thankful for a warm place to get out the cold and harsh weather with electricity and running water. Many people don’t have the basics.
7. I’m thankful for the critters in my life: the chickens up at the farm, the horses in the pasture outside my back door, Honey (Mom’s dog) and even the possum under my house. And, of course, the kitties who have my heart–Winston and Clarence.
8. I’m thankful for my writing critique group, writing friends, both near and scattered around this country (and a few abroad). So good to have folks you can talk shop with and who understand the importance of a comma.
9. I’m thankful for my health. While that might sound cliche, when you’re a woman in her fifties, you realize that you have to try harder to take better care of yourself–both physically and emotionally. I’ve lost 20 pounds this year by paying attention to what I eat and getting daily exercise. And I feel better for it.
10. I’m thankful that I am loved by the Creator of the Universe. More than I can ever know. How blessed to be a child of God!

As I’m ending this post, more things to be thankful for flood my mind. That’s the wonderful thing about gratitude. The more I practice it, the more I realize how crazy blessed I truly am!

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!

What are you thankful for? Tell us about it in the comments.

Related posts:

Cultivating Thankfulness

Faith, Farm, and Family

Bucking Bales: A Family Tradition

Finding my Pace: Slowing Down to Enjoy Life

Posts from a year ago:

A Thanksgiving Medley

Swirling Patterns of Blackbirds, Posing, and Other News Fresh From the Farm