A Thankful Day

Every year, people write posts, articles, emails, tweets, etc. about the things they’re thankful for. Every year, I roll my eyes and scoff at the holiday just like I Bah! Humbug! Christmas because, quite frankly, without children in my home, holidays just don’t mean a whole helluva lot to me anymore. I’m single. I’m childless. I live with my elderly mother, for whom I will actually decorate this Christmas because she’ll get all depressed if I don’t. For me, holidays are simply the same as any other day. Don’t feel sorry for me. I’m perfectly fine with it. I’ve spent my share of bustling holidays with family over the years and have even cooked several holiday dinners and hosted them in my own home. A home I no longer have.

At this point, you’re probably thinking this is going to be a depressing post. It’s not. I promise.

Before I left for Cincinnati, OH on the 10th, my dear friend and author Shawna Thomas had me as a guest on her blog on the 9th, and since I was in the midst of packing and working and God knows what else, I didn’t have a chance to tweet/Facebook/blog about it until yesterday. A Very Jinxie Thanksgiving can be found here, along with several other wonderful Thanksgiving posts that I encourage you to check out when you have a moment. I discuss what my Thanksgiving used to be, and my favorite memory.

And since it’s Thanksgiving and everyone discusses the things they’re thankful for, I’m going to do the same.

I’m thankful…:

that the lump in my breast earlier this year didn’t turn out to be cancer, and pray for a cure to save the women who aren’t so lucky.
for my dear friend Juliette Terzieff, who pulled me into the Zombie Survival Crew at the very beginning of the insanity, which has given me some of the most memorable moments of my life.
for my friend and business partner Sharon Gerlach, without whom Forever Nocturne and Running Ink Press, LLC wouldn’t exist.
for meeting such wonderful friends from all around the world in the least likely of places – Twitter.
for the opportunities given to me over this last year, and I don’t regret a damn choice I’ve made regarding them.
that Umi is okay after the scare on my birthday, which happened to be two days after my grandmother passed away. She’s doing just fine now.
that my Moonbug is still around and gives me that goofy puppy face every once in a while. She is my child.
for growing up with such an incredibly wonderful, loving, and caring family who never ceased to show me how important I am to them.
for having the opportunity to learn some things about my father this past summer that make me finally admire him, and for finally being able to build some semblance of a relationship with him over the last year. He passed away one year ago. That may not make sense to you, but if you know me at all, it will.
for the best beta readers and critique partners a writer could have!
for the dating site because I’ve recently realized that I don’t need to date anyone and I’m not settling this time, which is why my standards are so high.
for the wonderful reviews on my book Nemesis, including the one that wasn’t so good because I learned a valuable lesson with it.