GIVING THANKS

Thanksgiving will soon be here, a holiday that seems to be a mere blip in retail stores between Halloween and Christmas. But many years ago, Thanksgiving became more than a day to stuff myself with good food. It became a day to truly give thanks for the abundance that fills my life, especially in this time of challenges for many people.

As Sable might say, my wings are warm and dry. My life is filled with what I love: writing, designing book covers and other graphics, cuddling with my dogs, seeing my kids and grandkids, catching up with friends. After a productive day, I snuggle into my cloud--with the afore-mentioned dogs--then wake up to do it all again. Sounds pretty idyllic, doesn't it?

You might have guessed that's not the entire story of my life. I'm also working on being grateful for the times when I bury my head in a cloud and shriek with frustration at situations that make no sense from my perspective, or when sobs shake my body at the horrors we sometimes inflict on other beings, or when I want to pull out my wing feathers one by one because I don't think I'll ever get the hang of living on this Earth. Because I've also heard the harshest challenges we face are also our times of greatest growth. 

I can hear some of you now: "Enough growth already! Can I get a break?"

Well, I'm grateful to get those breaks--times I can breathe in hope and promise and remember my dreams and, yes, find blessings among the challenges. 

This Thanksgiving I hope you find much to be grateful for and, if you're of a mind to, please share your thoughts of gratitude on this blog!

-Amber Angel