Thanksgiving has always been a favorite holiday of mine.  When I stop to consider all the blessings I have received I feel overwhelmed by God’s goodness to me.  Each one of you is part of that.  Your notes and letters have inspired me and encouraged me.  I can honestly say I know of no other author who has as many wonderful readers as I do.  And so, on this day in which we reflect on blessings, I want you to know you have blessed me.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and have an extra helping of stuffing on me!

You’d think, being a writer, that words would come easily to me, and in some instances they do, but at other times I struggle.  I’ve always found it difficult to know what to say when comforting the grieving or how best to ease another’s pain.  It’s almost as hard for me to find the right words to give thanks. 

I have been so incredibly blessed in my life in ways far and above anything I could have imagined.  Blessed by family, friends, my publisher, my agent, publicist, my staff, and by all of you in countless ways.  Tomorrow we celebrate Thanksgiving and I’ll be up at the crack of dawn stuffing the turkey with other women (and men) all across our country.  My children and their families plus assorted relatives will gather around our table and we will hold hands and offer a prayer of gratitude to God for the abundance He has supplied.  Let me say it in the simplest of terms.  Thank you for blessing my life, for your support, encouragement, and the joy you bring me.

Like many of you, I’m getting ready for the big Thanksgiving feast.  I have our turkey soaking in a brine, the recipe from Martha Stewart.  The kitchen countertops are loaded down with the items I need for all the recipes I intend to cook.  Later this morning, I’ll set the big table in our dining room with our best china and silverware.  Then I’ll place a Bible verse by each place setting lest we forget all the things for which we are thankful.  My list is long this year.  I have been blessed in so many ways, and for that I thank our heavenly Father.