Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving

Giving thanks for family, friends, life and love. And really all that goes with it.

But just for fun I'd like to invite those visiting today to help me make a list of what we are thankful for.

Cyberspace - to help us stay in touch, even from our Ipads and cell phones. (Okay, not so much for the hackers that make life stressful at the worst possible times.)

The ability to communicate - whether by spoken word, written word, the strains of music or the quiet touch.

Speaking of touch… the touch of a loving pet, you know that cat rubbing up against your leg, a dog that bumps your hand with its nose, not to mention the purrs and the excited yips.

Loved ones - those who accept you as you are, even with your many flaws and gently invite you to grow. And even the estranged family member who hasn't communicated with you in so very long…maybe it is time to extend an olive branch and mend the broken connection. Too hard? Maybe pray for them and you to mend that gaping hole in your heart.

Laughter -- that means the ones that make you laugh, help you laugh at yourself as well as the endorphins released as you laugh. Even the chuckle counts, but the smile, when you are able to make a sound isn't enough.

I love my life. That sounds a little presumptuous, but it isn't meant that way. I've not always been able to say I love life and am thankful for it. You see, this past year has given me some very miraculous blessing concerning my life. I've had a year of change, for which I thankful. Explaining it all requires a separate and long post, as in roughly 5000 words. You are welcome to came back in the coming days to share it with me.

I'm thankful for those I love and those that love me in return, Love that is demonstrated in so many ways. Of course, for me there is the romantic love. I love my husband dearly and am very thankful for his unending patience.

And most of all, I am thankful for My Savior, Jesus Christ and His atonement. His grace humbles me every day. If I did a better job of keeping Him at the center of my life, I would be humbled every hour of every day. I am thankful for His love and His patience. May all of you feel His love in your lives.

What are you thankful for?

Giving Thanks for the Perfect Package

When I got married, I had all sorts of beautiful ideas of what marriage would be like. I came from a family of "good gifters." We'd shop for weeks and weeks until we found the perfect gift for each other. My brother bought me a gorgeous little silver jewelry box one year. I bought him an engraved cigar holder. My parents would give each other thoughtful gifts of jewelry or rare books... Gifts were an important part of our family culture.


My husband was a different kind of guy.

Our first anniversary, I bought my husband a stainless steel business card holder and engraved it with the words "More Than Anything," my answer to him when he asked how much I loved him. Super. Wife. Seriously, it was a gift that I was SURE would be passed on to our grandchildren with the romantic story. My husband opened the package and looked at it in confusion.

"What is it?"

"A business card holder. Look at the inscription..."

"But I don't have business cards."

"I know. You could use it to hold credit cards, maybe." I went on to explain the potential significance, but he still didn't seem to get it. I thought it might grow on him.

The next day, my husband was trying to fix something in our new apartment, and we didn't yet own a hammer. I walked into the room to find my husband using my gift to him as a makeshift hammer, slamming it repeatedly into a nail! He honestly didn't think it would get damaged...

That day, I had a decision to make. I could drive myself nuts for the rest of my life trying to make him appreciate my great gifts, and take on the even harder task of teaching him how to BUY those great gifts, or I could just appreciate him for who he is.

He's sweet, kind, attentive and an incredibly hard worker. He puts me first. He pours time into our relationship. He takes pride in being there for me. He's brilliant. He's my perfect match--with or without a great gifting instinct.

Marriage isn't always "romance novel" material. It's the daily grind. It's the breakfasts, mid-morning chats on the phone, grocery shopping trips when both of you are wiped and cuddling up in bed together when the power goes out. Marriage isn't about the few monumental moments, it's about those many, many insignificant moments that don't seem important at the time, but meld together into a lifelong relationship. This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for my husband--the complete package.

In my novel, Legally Wed, we follow the stories of two marriages--one that was supposed to be over, and one that was supposed to be perfect. Marriage is never what you imagine...http://pattyfroese.com

More on Legally Wed tomorrow...

Giving Thanks

If you read yesterdays post you will not be surprised at what I share today.

I am grateful for some dear friends that I have met thus far in my writing career. In particular today I am thankful for Debra Parmley, and not just because we are both blonds. Debra has recently sent me one of her novels (in paperback), A Desperate Journey. I didn't ask for this gift, but it arrived yesterday and it caused a warm fuzzy all over to add to my smile. The book will be added to my dwindling TBR pile.

I am grateful for my children, some at home, some close to home and some more distant. All but one have entertained themselves with helping me learn to text on an older cell phone. Fatt fingers and tiny keys don't always make for clear messages!

I am grateful for the occasional rays of sunshine that dare to peak through the clouds and sometimes even the fog despite the fact that we should be seeing more rain this time of year. Oh yeah, which leads me to the thanks for the Vitamin D supplement and the full spectrum light that I spend most of my waking hours under. For those of you who occasionally deal with depression, I strongly recommend you find one and use it regularly.

I am grateful for my husband that reminds me to laugh at least once a day and the children that make me laugh (friends too!) even if it is the goofy program they are watching.

I am grateful for the ease of research for a WIP that a sibling or two provide me with. One in particular has spent hours roughing it in less than savory country as well as reading and studying dusty pages to share with me and on occasion answer questions. What would I do without you guys? Answer: write less believable scenes in novels.

And, I am grateful for the novel I am currently working on, even though it manages to prove painfully slow going at times. You'll be happy to know it doesn't read slow, just takes a bit of effort to get the details right.

I am thankful for...

A couple of friends and I were talking earlier this month about the things we are thankful for. (It is Thanksgiving around the corner before Christmas.)


The conversation turned to being thankful for trials with one's comment about being thankful that she and her immediate family live so far from family and lifelong friends now…

…because it allows her to grow and develop new friendships (okay, I'm paraphrasing.)

Another said she is thankful for the extra time she has (Really, I don't have extra time either, but she feels she does.)…

…because it helps her to be more creative and productive…

Wow, it's taken me a couple of days to come up with one I feel I can share here. My first response mirrored theirs with most of my family living many hours away and all. BUT…

I am thankful for the rain (we get a lot of that here)…

…because it pretty much keeps me homebound.

I am thankful that my car is not reliable at this time…

…because it keeps me homebound.

I am thankful for crummy health…

…because it keeps me homebound.

I am thankful for doctors that care for me…

…because their instructions keep me homebound.

Seeing a pattern here yet?

Okay, I am thankful for being homebound…

…because…sooner or later I run out of excuses and really get some quality writing done…(1000 words in my WIP today)

And hopefully this spring my publisher will smile at me and say, "I'm thankful that you were homebound…"

What are you thankful for?

Veteran's Day

Is it just me or do we have an ever increasing need to thank the men and women who defend our liberty and freedoms? Per chance it is my increasing age or possibly the freedoms that have caught my attention of recent.


On November 6th, we all over the United States have had the opportunity to cast our vote, to utter our opinion no matter how unobtrusive or quiet. It is my hope that we recognize the sacrifices of generations that have gone before that gave us this right and an appreciation for those that continue to give of their time, their abilities, and some even their lives, for us to enjoy such a right. Not all living on Mother Earth have this privilege.

On a more recent evening, after my family had retired and all was quiet, I gave my attention the sound of a rather large aircraft overhead. Whether coming in for a landing at the nearby passenger airport of the slightly more distant military airfield, I don't know. What caught my attention, and possibly because of what we had watched on TV, was the gentle peace that infused my soul knowing I appreciated that aircraft and many more like it rather than running for a safer location (bomb shelter, bunker, etc.) How many have lived and died fearing the sound of a plane overhead? Yes. I am thankful for the peace I and mine enjoy.

How appropriate that Veterans Day falls just days before Thanksgiving. I encourage one and all to include veterans, their lives, and their deaths, and for some - the normalcy of civilian life, in our Thanksgiving rituals this year and for years to come. To the men and women who have served, do now serve, or will someday serve, Thank you.