I read somewhere once that to be happy, you need three things: someone to love, something worth doing, and something to hope for.

This Thanksgiving, I’m again grateful to have all three —and richly so.

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The trees have gone bare now, their branches sketching dark lines against pale November skies. Morning walks crunch underfoot, frost turning the grass silver until the sun burns it away. There’s woodsmoke in the air from someone’s fireplace, that smell that makes you pull your coat a little tighter and feel grateful for warmth, for home, for the season turning exactly as it should.

My dog doesn’t notice the cold the way I do. She’s too busy investigating the changes autumn has brought: new scents where the leaves have fallen, different paths where the frost has hardened the ground. She moves through November with the same enthusiasm she brought to June, reminding me that every season has its gifts if you know how to look for them.

This year has been one of unexpected abundance. I started a Substack from scratch that’s grown to nearly 3,000 subscribers! I published two short story collections and I’m deep into a third. And I’m preparing to launch something new for active writers: a Substack dedicated to emotional, immersive storytelling, inspired by the feedback so many of you have generously shared about my Goodest Boy stories: Heart of the Story.

Someone to love. Something worth doing. Something to hope for.

But here’s what I’ve learned from all of you this year: I’m not alone in finding these three things through dogs and writing. Your messages tell me stories, stories about the rescue who finally learned to trust, about the senior dog who’s teaching you what patience and grace looks like, about the puppy who’s chaos incarnate but somehow exactly what you needed. You write to me about the stories that made you cry at your desk, that you read out loud to your dogs (who may or may not have been listening), that helped you through a hard day or a harder year.

You’ve found someone to love in the dog curled at your feet right now. You’ve found something worth doing in showing up for them every single day. The walks, the vet visits, the patience it takes to teach them or simply to let them be. And you’ve found something to hope for in the promise of more time, more adventures, more of those perfect moments when it’s just you and them and the world feels exactly right.

Thanksgiving is a holiday for family, and I can’t help but think about what our four-legged family members have taught us. Dogs give us so much: their unwavering presence when we feel alone, their joy in the smallest things when we’ve forgotten how, their ability to pull us back into the moment when our minds wander into worry or regret. They remind us that loyalty isn’t complicated, that forgiveness is instant, and that a walk on a cold morning —with breath misting in the air, their tail wagging at nothing and everything, is exactly as profound as it feels.

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Maybe your dog is young and wild, still learning that the world won’t hurt them, still teaching you patience you didn’t know you had. Maybe they’re old now, moving slower, and every day with them feels both precious and fragile. Maybe they’re the one who saved you, though the rescue papers say you saved them. Maybe they’re just… yours. Your companion, your shadow, your reason to come home.

They are someone to love. They make our work—whatever that work is—worth doing. And they give us endless reasons to hope: for more mornings, more adventures, more time. Always, we hope for more time.

So here’s to all the doggie families out there, to everyone who understands that “family” also has four legs and fur and a heartbeat that matches yours when you need it most. May your Thanksgiving be filled with wagging tails, warm hearts, and maybe a few under-the-table treats when no one’s looking.

May there be frost on the morning grass and your dog’s breath misting beside yours. May there be woodsmoke and warm kitchens and that particular comfort of having them near. May you have someone to love, something worth doing, and something to hope for.

And may you have many, many more Thanksgivings together.

Happy Thanksgiving. 🦃🐾​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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***CHRISTMAS is just on the doorstep!
Here are a few perfect book gifts for dog lovers:
The Goodest Boy and Chronicles of the Good Vet

***And for those of you who enjoy my Substack Notes that feature dogs using buttons to talk, the full range of Fluent Pet buttons is on discount now! My affiliate link is here: https://amzn.to/48vaKjk