A Time for Giving Thanks

As I took time this week to pause and look at my life, I am filled with gratitude. Our refrigerator is packed with food. Our table is surrounded by family and friends. We have medical care which provides for our needs when we are sick (and we’ve all been sick this week!)

Though we had to say goodbye to both of our longtime pets – two cats we’ve had for more than ten years – we also adopted a new cat from a local shelter. He had a rough start, so he was fearful and skittish when we brought him home. But there was something in his face that made me believe he just needed an opportunity to love. It’s proven to be true. After just a few months in our home, he is possibly the most affectionate cat I’ve ever met. He’s been a Godsend, and we adore him.

This past year, my daughter and I have bonded over Anne of Green Gables, Lemony Snicket, and her budding theater interest. We’ve talked about what it means to become a teenager, a woman, to speak your mind with kindness and conviction. Every day she grows, learns, challenges me to be a better person, a better mother.

As a serial over-committer, I’ve challenged myself to slow down this holiday season. As various hitches and bumps arose around our Thanksgiving plans, I feel like I lost sight of what these celebrations are all about. Giving thanks. Being with family. Celebrating the greatest gift we’ve ever received.

I’ve only made a few commitments to review books over the next several weeks, and I’ll continue to honor those. I’ll continue to post here at The Story Sanctuary through the holiday season, but I will follow my heart where my reading choices are concerned. (Probably this means reading some of the hard copies of books I’ve been squirreling away on my shelves since last Christmas…)

Thank you, dear readers, for taking this journey with me. I hope this season provides you with many blessings around your table. I’m thankful that you’ve chosen to spend time here, listening to my thoughts. I love middle grade and teen fiction, and it’s a joy to share that passion with you.