So Much to be Grateful For - Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving just brings out the sentimental fool in me.  I can't help it, I get this way every year around this same time. It is a time for reflection for me and a time for me to list everything I am grateful for over the past year. 

Here goes:

I am grateful that I was able to "retire" this year and follow my dreams. These dreams included writing, hobby farming and traveling across this wonderful country of ours.  

• On the road this past summer, I saw a lot of very  cool things, did a lot of cool things in some very cool places and learned so much about the National Parks and National Monuments that we as a nation should be proud to call them our own. Some highlights can be seen HERE.

• In writing, I published three e-books and garnered some new readership.  I have met a ton of fellow indie authors and have enjoyed the camaraderie that we have shared this year.

• And on my hobby farm, I welcomed some new faces to our humble homestead and also said goodbye to a few.  You can see them HERE.

I am grateful for my family.  When I need a shoulder to cry on or words of encouragement or help to "pull myself up by my bootstraps", I know that I can always depend on my family to be there for me.  I love you all!

I am grateful for the disappointments that have come my way.  For without them, I would have "coasted" on some things that I really needed to work on.  It was the disappointments and things that did not go my way that gave me the energy and confidence to persevere through a few very personal issues.  I still have work to do, but I have seen progress.

I am grateful for social media.  I have met and become "virtual" friends with many people this past year.  Social media has helped me to be less reclusive and has allowed me to "put myself out there" a little more.

I am grateful for good health.  As I get older, aches and pains are more frequent visitors, but I know that many people my age have it far worse.  I can get up every morning and take care of my farm animals.  I can walk miles a day around the farm and not get (too) winded. My motto this year has definitely been "use it or lose it".

I am grateful for all of the readers of my work.  Thank you all for giving me a chance as a newbie writer and for leaving such wonderful reviews on my e-books.  It warms my heart and soul to have such a generous and supportive audience.  There are no words to fully thank you for your kindness.

And lastly, I am most grateful for just being alive. There have been a few instances in my life where I could have died - from choking on a quarter when I was a child to almost getting hit head-on by a drunk driver in high school to getting food poisoning so bad that I was in the hospital on IV antibiotics for a week. Yes!  This is the thing I am most grateful for  -  to have another day to live and to enjoy the beautiful things in this life.

What things are YOU grateful for this past year?

Happy Thanksgiving to All of YOU!