With Thanksgiving almost upon us, there is certainly a lot to be grateful for. Even though some of you may have experienced illness or other tragedies this year, I want to encourage you to give thanks.

In the King James version of the Bible * The word thanks appears 73 times * The word thanksgiving appears 28 times * The word thank appears 27 times * The word thanked appears 3 times * The word thankful appears 3 times * The word thanksgivings appears 2 times * The word thankfulness appears 1 time * The word thanking appears 1 time * The word thankworthy appears 1 time

I listed the above for those of you who love statistics. 😊

There is something about a thankful heart, especially when things go wrong in our lives. It’s very difficult to thank God when you don’t get that promotion at work, or your child snipes at you, or you’ve overslept, and it ruins your whole day. Or, when someone criticizes your work or just criticizes you and you don’t’ understand why.  I know. I’ve been there.

Each day, it helps to start out being thankful. The fact that you can get out of bed, that you have warm water in the shower, that you can breathe, taste, smell, and move about. These are things many of us take for granted.

I know I’m grateful this month as I was recommended to a wonderful editor who is working with me on my manuscript, “Dead Ringer Cowboy.” I know I promised many of you a very long time ago that I would get this book written, but now with her help, it will happen. I’m excited that my journey is moving along.

A total surprise hit me this month that I’m a finalist in the First Impressions Contest with American Fiction Christian Writers (ACFW), category: Historical Romance. This contest is for unpublished manuscripts. I had worked with my mentor on a novella entitled “The Sheriff’s Dilemma,” and decided to submit the historical western romance. I’m truly grateful for being a finalist. Yes, of course, I would love to win in the category, but I feel God has continued to nudge me to keep writing.

Be thankful for the little things this Thanksgiving as they often get overlooked.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving from my family to yours!