Thanksgiving Blessings

Thanksgiving week is a time to show gratitude and reflect on all our blessings. The past couple of years have been challenging to say the least. In addition to pandemic restrictions that we all endured, I lost my mother and took a hiatus from writing. My husband has stood by my side throughout these years of turmoil. For that I am grateful.

Family

My first blessing is family. In Mom’s final days she was surrounded by her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. We had casual conversations, reliving childhood exploits and sharing long-held secrets all as Mom listened from her bed. We took turns holding her hand, stroking her hair, kissing her cheek. To her, family was everything. She died at peace.

For the first time in years, all of my siblings were under the same roof. No petty arguments like in our youth, just a deep understanding that we are on this earth for a limited time, that family is everything.

Friends

My second blessing is a network of friends. After burying Mom, I returned to Oregon, my nearest relative more than a hundred miles away. By this time, pandemic travel restrictions were in place. I left my house only to walk the dog or buy groceries. My network of friends filled the role of family. We discovered Zoom. One group met weekly for emotional support. Another group had weekly game-days. Yet another group shared uplifting and funny sayings via email. My friend-family sustained me. Family is everything.

Writing Buddies

My third blessing are my writing buddies. During the pandemic my writing habit shriveled. While I wasn’t producing any new work, my buddies met via zoom for critique and moral support. We talked about the effects of isolation, shared insights on the human condition, passed writing articles and instructional videos around via email. Family is everything.

As the pandemic eased, I joined an SCBWI group. Just last week I had coffee with a member who encouraged me to get back on the writing horse. We agreed to be accountability buddies, and now here I am, finally writing a blogpost.

And Finally . . .

My fourth blessing is my exercise buddy, Dusty. A husky-lab mix, she walks me every day. We roam the neighborhood, her nose to the ground, my head in the clouds. I do some of my best writing on these walks composing sentences, clearing my mind, clarifying main points.