There’s been an awesome phenomenon going around Facebook lately: the Thirty Days of Thanks posts in honor of Thanksgiving. I think it’s important to remember all that we have and are blessed with in our lives, and unfortunately, I didn’t catch on to the trend until too late to join in.

However, with Thanksgiving in a few days, I decided I’d do my own Thirty Days of Thanks in one post! The following are things in my life that I am incredibly thankful for, and they come in no particular order except the very first one. 🙂

I am grateful for…

1. YOU, my blog readers. Thanks for joining me as I meander along in my writing journey, and for sharing your thoughts back!
2. Parents—all four of them!—who love and support me.
3. Outstanding friends that do the same, especially
4. Two dear friends who have put up with me for 19 years. You two are the best! XO
5. A sister I grow closer with each day. (Love you, sisser face!)
6. A niece I adore that makes me laugh with her adorable 5-year-old ways.
7. Two mischievous yet ridiculously cuddly cats. (One is sleeping in my lap as I type this.)
8. A roof over my head in a safe neighborhood.
9. Food in my belly, always. (And I mean always, since I seem to eat every five seconds.)
10. Wonderful colleagues, many of them friends at
11. A job that I enjoy, and which provides me an income to do the things outside of work that I like to do, such as
12. Vacations around the world and
13. Going out and having fun. Then there is…
14. The safe birth of my friend’s way-too early baby (so glad she got to the hospital early enough! Rooting for you, little one!).
15. A second credential in English, which just made work twice as fantastic.
    
16. A working, healthy body that allows me to live my life and stay active.
17. Creativity, and the ability to use it.
18. Rediscovering my passion for writing after ignoring it for far too long.
19. Connecting with other writers both on the blogsphere and in person, especially
20. Superb writing mentors and friends and
21. People who are excited about my writing. Then of course, there are the little things, but as an “I have a glass! Yay!” kind of optimist, they make me happy too—things like:
22. An organized bulletin board of writing projects.
23. A gym in my condo complex, as well as a pair of hot tubs and a beautiful running trail.
24. An antenna that lets me watch my favorite shows in high-definition without having to pay for cable.
25. A hallway full of family and friend photos.
26. A new housecleaner who rocks my world.
27. A super fast typing speed that makes writing a breeze.
28. My spiffy new Macbook, which paired with my desktop computer, gives me maximum writing options!
29. My expensive but comfortable bed, and of course
30. Books!

Thanks for reading the short list of things I’m thankful for in my life. I could go on, truly, because I don’t think that a list of thirty things is long enough to cover all that I appreciate. Especially my #1—thank you for you, readers! 🙂

I hope that all of you have an opportunity to find at least one thing you are thankful for this week, and that you all have a happy Thanksgiving. In the meantime, don’t forget, the submission call for Third Thursday Flash Edition Six: The Turkey Edition, is still open until 8 p.m. PST tonight. Can’t wait to see your ideas…gobble gobble! 🙂