By now you have probably consumed copious amounts of turkey and stuffing along with other yummy food and maybe even braved the stores on Black Friday (which means you have more courage than I do). Hello the holiday season.
Hopefully you took a few moments to count your blessings while enjoying the holiday. After all, Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time to be grateful for what we have.
I suspect a number of people are cranky out there, though. There's a lot of bad news we're having to deal with lately - a rocky economy, unrest in the Middle East, and Hostess closing their doors. Maybe after this last election you feel there is nothing to be thankful for, because in your eyes we are doomed.
In the spirit of the holiday, let me take a few moments and share what I am thankful for, hoping it will inspire you to do the same.
I am thankful for a loving God who has filled my life with things to be grateful for.
I am thankful to live in a country where I can openly express gratitude to God without fear of being censured or getting arrested. Our freedom of speech and religion is something we sometimes take for granted, forgetting not everyone in the world enjoys such liberty.
And while it has its problems, I'm thankful for this country in general. Yes, we're going through a rough patch, but seriously, we're still pretty well off. And I am betting on us getting through this, one way or another. That's how we roll.
I am thankful for my family. They put up with my craziness and usually don't mind when I poke at them in columns. They've supported my desire to write, cheer my successes and encourage me to keep at it the days I threaten to quit and become a professional video game player. They are the best gift ever.
I'm thankful to have the ability to try to make this writing thing profitable. I know writers who have to try to ply their trade while working a full-time job. My situation allows me the opportunity to devote more time to my chosen career, though I will be the first to admit I don't use it as efficiently as I should.
I'm thankful to have a roof over my head, clothes to wear, and more than enough food to eat. More people then you imagine don't possess such blessings.
Speaking of food, I'm thankful for chocolate. And coffee. And all kinds of delicious things to eat and drink. While I should probably consume less of some of them, you have to be grateful to live in a world where everything doesn't taste like Brussel sprouts.
I'm grateful to live in an age where I can use a laptop to type up my column and other writings, even if the spell checker and I don't agree on how to spell Brussel sprouts.
I'm thankful for friends that cheer my successes, sympathize with my struggles and are there when I need encouragement or help. I hope I'm as good to them as they are to me.
I'm thankful for my readers. Yes, I could write and never be read, but what fun is that? And I'm grateful for each and every one of you, even the reader who called me names in one email and wished me a Happy Thanksgiving in the next. Hey, at least I got his attention.
I could go on, but it's time to wrap up for this week. I hope you thought of some blessings to be thankful for. And if you happen to get your hands on a Twinkie, be thankful and eat it for me, OK?
Laura Ware is a Sebring resident. She can be contacted by e-mail at bookwormlady@
embarqmail.com Visit her website at www.laurahware.com. Guest columns are the opinion of the writer, not necessarily those of the staff of the News-Sun.
Sunday, November 25, 2012 - www.newssun.com/col-112512-ware