Though all writers are encouraged strongly to write blogs and connect with readers, the truth is I am a lazy blogger. I write books, memos for work, notes to friends and even Facebook posts but when it comes to writing blogs, my eyes glaze over as I wonder what to write and who will even read it. I admit to reading few blogs. But there are those times a blog seems warranted. And Thanksgiving is one. Especially this year when there is so much misery in our world. So here goes:

Thanksgiving – my favorite holiday, a day devoted to food, family, friends and gratitude, a day that reminds me of just how much I have in life – my family and friends, my health, my job, the release last year of my sixth novel and seventh book.  I am lucky beyond words, and reflecting that, my list of thanks is endless.

I am thankful for a warm and loving family and supportive friends, for it is that base that allows me to be who I am. I am appreciative too of my home, and grateful for the electricity and running water in my house since there are so many around the world who have neither, and I am thankful for my washing machine because I know the misery of bending into an icy stream in some faraway place to do my wash. I am grateful too for my noisy furnace since with every groan, I know it’s working to keep me warm. And I am grateful for my fireplace which offers a nostalgic and magic kind of warmth. I am grateful to be stuck in the heaving crowds on the morning train because it means I am lucky enough to be one of those job-holders with someplace to go. I am especially thankful for the plates of food that I will share on Thanksgiving and I am even more delighted with the laughter and love that will surround this meal.

I am grateful for every single thing that has ever come my way, and I expect that I’ll be expressing my own private gratitude every day of my life. But, on this Thanksgiving, when I eat a little too much, I will remember to pause and say a prayer that people everywhere, especially the starving children of Ukraine and Sudan and Gaza, and all the other forgotten and hardscrabble places, will be blessed with full bellies of their own very soon. In my stream of wishes this year, I hope that we will all stand up against evil everywhere and support and encourage so many whose dreams have been scattered and lost in the winds of war and hate.

In these days when it sometimes seems that we cannot possibly make a difference, I think we can and we must. If we stand firmly together for what is right, we can force the winds of change and all those lost dreams will be gathered up and allowed to blossom and thrive.