I start this Thanksgiving more pissed off. I am sick of all of these Black Friday sale ads. It’s as if Black Friday has become Gray Thursday. The message they are sending seems to be, “you don’t have enough, let alone enough to be thankful for. Hurry up and finish that pie and come buy more stuff so next year you’ll have something to be grateful for.”
Irritated, I decided to take stock—not of my stuff but of what I have to be thankful for:

My partner, Stanley, who at midnight was painting the trim in the kitchen because he knows I wanted the kitchen “done” by Thanksgiving.

The maturity that comes with age so that at 12:01 I wasn’t yelling, “You’re painting now?”

A brilliant canine cardiologist who has given Coco a better quality of life, and us more time to enjoy her company.

A job that pays the bills and allows me to work with some truly wonderful people.

Parents who are still with us and healthy. To say nothing of a mother who provides great material for my writing. (More about next when I blog about mothers and sons.)

Carina Press & Bold Strokes Books, both of whom published my first two books this year.

All the readers who took time to not only read my books, but who also took the time to write to me.

Social media—Twitter and Facebook have allowed me to connect with hundreds of people around the world, as a result I’ve had virtual conversations with people in Britain, Australia, Nigeria, and Canada.

Debbie McGowan and Nigel, new friends, both of whom support and amuse me from across the pond.

Good friends Lloyd and Sandy, who will sit at our table tonight and share with us the food we so lovingly prepared.

I may not have everything, but I have everything I need and for that I am really, truly grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.