Sara Reyes | Reflections on Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving

It's the day of thanks and reflection on those people and things I'm most happy to have in my life. This year, I decided to make a list. It may not be complete but it's a great start to a day filled with all the people I love and some great food.

I'm thankful for lessons learned:
Sometimes life hands me challenges, usually I think in retrospect to see if I can grow stronger, if I've learned how to deal with obstacles, if I can pivot. So far this year, my challenges included family health scares, business burps and successes, Did you ever know success has a lesson?

I'm thankful for people who love me:
It's always surprising when you realize who steps up when lemons are being handed out. And this year I found a slew of them. From my enforced stay in Florida to coming home to Texas I have a bounty of friends and I'm so very grateful for each one of them. I know I'm a prickly pear at times so when they rally around I can be nothing but eternally grateful. THANK YOU EVERYONE!

I'm thankful for family:
Without my family I wouldn't have the opportunity to follow my passion and I'm grateful and thankful every single day. They also make it so I learn to press pass obstacles and to keep going every single day, no matter what.

I'm thankful for readers:
Ah, readers, my friends in dirty little secrets. Readers love to share their passion and it's always wonderful when you find a fellow reader and can go down the rabbit hole of what book to read next, can you believe what happened in that book, it's impossible she killed off my favorite character. If any of those words are familiar then you know what I mean. Big hugs to all the readers.

I'm thankful for authors:
Authors go through the toil and turmoil of writing a book and getting it published so I can sit down and read it in a day. For an author that might seem unfair especially when I finish and ask, "where's the next one?" But really I'm grateful for their ability to craft a story, persevere to publish it and get it into the market so I can escape to their world.

I'm thankful for my pets:
There's nothing better than a warm and possibly wet nose giving me a nudge when I feel blue. For cuddling on my feet when I'm trying to just get one more thing done. And yes, Bonny and Loki, I really need to stop working now and take you for a walk.

Hugs to all and may your Thanksgiving be filled with friends both real and imaginary, great food crafted with love, and warm feelings of thanks.

Sara Reyes

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