For my blood family. I not only love them, I like them.
(most of the time)
For my freedoms. For the right of freedom of person, of religion, of thought and speech (just try to stop me, NSA), and the freedom to vote to keep those things free for the next generation.
For my friends, my family-of-choice, who laugh at my jokes (most of them, anyway), who cheer me when I’m down and are happy when I’m happy, who bring me meds when I’m sick, kick my ass when I’m mopey, and mock me on skype. (blows kisses Seattle-ward).
For my co-workers. My agent(s) Jen, Joe and Barry, my various editors, my fellow writers who share the ups and downs and make the first more joyful and the second easier to recover from. And especially April and Thirza, who salvage my sanity on a regular basis, and never roll their eyes where I can see them do it. :-)
My fur-foots. Pandora, of sweet memory. Boomerang, my court jester and cuddler. Castiel the Kitten of Thursday, who brings joy in equal share with exasperation. Mei-Chan, who is love in a fur suit.
My health. Okay, it could be better, but overall, everything works.
My online communities. This blog, of course. Livejournal. Twitter. Tumblr. Yes, even you, Facebook. Where I can connect with people who would otherwise slip by in a busy, far-flung world.
And, combining several of the above categories and making one of their own: My readers. A writer’s life is an uncertain one, and every year we get to toil in the word-mines is a treasured, if painful, blessing. And it couldn’t happen without people who say “oooo, she has a new book out!” or even “ooo, how did I miss that book, mine now!” :-)
Happy Thanksgiving, fellow Americans both at home and abroad!
(and Happy Hanukkah!)
(Have a good Thursday, the rest of you)