Tis Gratitude Season...Family, Friends Blessings

For more than two decades, my husband, JM, and I share Thanksgiving with a group of Holiday Orphans.  Like us, their families are too far away to visit, so we celebrate with this extended family of dear people who live nearby.

One couple loves to mash potatoes and roast turkey. Aren't we lucky!  We bring a ton of sweet taties and green-bean almondine casserole.  Others contribute dessert, wine, salads, rolls, and more.  Everyone pitches in for an amazing feast of food and friendship.

I’m all for change and doing things in different ways, but I love the customs of this holiday.  One year, we brought different side dishes to the Thanksgiving table, but everybody missed those tried-and-true favorites.  

Isn’t it funny how little things grow into cherished traditions? Yesterday, I listened to conversations at the salon as I got my hair cut.  People recited their Thanksgiving menu and discussed every aspect of their family gathering with the reverence of a sacred litany.

​It's also a tradition for us to dig out timers and extension cords to set candles in the windows.  Their glow beginning Thanksgiving evening kicks off our winter holiday season.  

And then there are gifts to buy and wrap, cards to address (yep, still do a few personalized, greeting cards), decorations to dress inside the house and around the garden, donations for the food drive, practice for the annual community Messiah concert….the list goes on.  I could make myself go crazy trying to do it all.

But I don’t want to be a captive of The List.  I want to take time to savor the here and now. The spirit of giving and gratitude of this beautiful season.  

So before the checkout line at Harris Teeter snakes out the door, I want to stop and appreciate this season of gratitude. That includes a huge thanks to YOU for supporting my writing journey. 

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​There's so much in my writing life to be grateful for this year, and YOUR support and encouragement helped me get there.  Here's a sample of what's going on:
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#KidLitJoy Holiday Giveaway
My writerly friends and I are sponsoring a giveaway through 15 December. We're building community, having fun, and giving one lucky reader a brighter holiday with a $500 Amazon Gift card.  Hey, that could be YOU, so enter below today!
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Enter the #KidLitJoy $500 Giveaway

The Magical Aquarium
My fantasy for beginning readers is ready for pre-order on iTunes. So excited! I'm a huge Apple fan, and this is my first  e-book with them.

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Pre-Order The Magical Aquarium on i-Tunes

​Sweet T and the Turtle Team 
The third book in my series for beginning readers is on track for a late-spring print publication.  A digital version will not be far behind.  

Take a peek at a sketch Irene Jahns is working on for this tale set on fictitious Gull Island along the North Carolina shore.

Yep, Fuzzy is back, and this beloved blue stuffy gets into mischief again.  He really gets TANGLED up (HINT!).

You'll also meet Charlie, a fiesty puppy  who will win young readers' hearts, too.

Sweet T and the Turtle Team: Find Fuzzy again, meet Charlie

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This writing journey is a bumpy road ride, and I am beyond grateful for your company.  Could not/would not want to do it without YOU!  

Wishing you a terrific Thursday where ever you roam. If you observe this holiday, I hope you are with folk you hold dear and enjoy Thanksgiving together to the max! 

BTW....In the spirit of making time for family and friends, my last blog for 2016 will be 12 December.  I'm taking a break to savor the season.  Cat's Corner will return on 9 January, ready for a new year, new opportunities, and more good things to come.  

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