A while back, I challenged myself to keep a daily log of 101 Days of Gratitude to end 2020 and enter 2021 with a more faith-filled, centered on thanksgiving mindset.
It's been a challenge. More than I expected. Originally, I meant to post about it every day. I've skipped a few days on social media, but I have posted many times on Instagram and Facebook. Sometimes, the challenge was finding pictures to fit my Thanksgiving, and sometimes, I just struggled with my attitude. It depended on the day.
Yet, as I have turned my mental landscape more towards thanksgiving, I have found more and more reasons to give thanks. Here are 26 reasons I can think of today:
A - Anna, one of my daughters.
B - Blogger buddies who have encouraged me to grow in my writing and who have hosted me at their blogs for my recent book launch!
C - Clyde, my dog. He's snoring next to me as I write.
D - Dads, specifically my dad, for his love and steadiness this year and every day.
E - Emily, my cat. She came to us pre-named, and she is a purring delight, even as she ages a bit.
F - Family.
G - God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
H - Help with health stuff. I am currently going to PT for Achilles Tendonitis and I'm thankful for my PT and my current doc.
I - Inklings and ideas. Sometimes I have too many. On the days I feel dry, I have a file. :)
J - John, my husband.
K - Kindness. I've experienced, seen it, and I hope to act on it.
L - Love. Seems simple, but it isn't. It's complicated and can mean so many things, but it's always good to love and be loved.
M - Moms, my mom, and being a mom. I never expected to love being a mom as much as I do.
N - Naps. I take them. Not every day, but every once in a while they really help me get back to speed for the afternoon.
O - Octopi. I know this seems random, and it kind of is, but I live near the Puget Sound (visible in winter if I stand on the roof of my house - which I usually don't), and the sound has several protected areas for Giant Pacific Octopi, which can get up to 150 pounds. with an arm span of 20 feet. Although I've never seen one outside of an aquarium, I think they are really cool.
P - Pastors. My church has two good ones. I've had some as friends over the years. They are unique people who truly love others in God's name.
Q - Questions. Questions help me dig into my story ideas and characters.
R - Rest. Didn't I already say "nap"? Yes, I did. Rest is good, and it doesn't have to mean sleeping. Rest can be comprised of any kind of activity that renews us.
S - Saturday morning Bible study on Zoom with sisters in Christ.
T - Trisha, one of my daughters.
U - Uniqueness. I believe every single person on the planet is unique, and has something unique to offer to the world.
V - Ventures of the imagination. :)
W - Wildlife. I may groan about the deer who eat all the flowers - I don't have roses anymore - but I enjoy hearing our local owl hoot and the pileated woodpeckers rattling away at a tree for food. When the coyotes take up their howl in the back yard, it's still really cool as long as the cat and dog are inside. They keep the resident rabbit, fox, and racoon population under control while the owl deals with the mice. I think they may have eaten an older cat I had long ago, but it's been ten years, so I mostly forgive them. It's probably a different pack at this point. They keep us alert to the presence of wildness in our world, and I think that's a good thing.
X - Xanthum Gum. It's used with gluten-free flours as a thickener and stabilizer. My daughters and I have healed/changed from many of our food issues. Our early diagnosis of gluten intolerance was either wrong or our gut bacteria changed and healed so we can have gluten, but I am thankful for knowing this source of alternative thickener in baking and gravy-making.
Y - Yumminess coming on Thanksgiving. We can't gather all together as a family, but we will each eat some yummy food.
Z - Zoom. I use it at least four days a week, and it has certainly helped in all of this crazy CoVID stuff.
Can you think of 26 things to be thankful for today? I challenge you to take an A to Z Thanksgiving Challenge with your family or on your own. See if you can come up with 26, or 52, or more things to be thankful for.
And, I am super thankful for all the help for my book launch! Thank you, all!
I'm glad I was able to finish and publish Liftoff this year and I'm looking forward to revising book 2 for the Rayatana novella series soon.
If you haven't picked up a copy yet, it's a fast read, perfect for Thanksgiving weekend. :)
Title: Liftoff
Subtitle: The Rayatana Series, Book 1
A spaceship in disguise,
An Earth girl searching for a sense of home,
And a Thousand Years’ War between alien races,
All collide on a summer afternoon.
An old movie theater welcomes Amaya in and wraps her up in the smell of popcorn and licorice. But one sunny afternoon during a matinee, the movie screen goes dark. The theater rumbles.
Amaya gets trapped in the middle of an ancient alien conflict. Angry and frightened, Amaya entangles herself in a life-changing cultural misunderstanding with Sol, a young alien who keeps omitting key information, even while they’re on the run from his enemies.
What will it take to survive a battle between alien races involved in an ancient war?
Liftoff is a fast-paced read for fans of Code 8, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Cobra Kai.
Release Date: November 10, 2020
Paperback ISBN: 978-0-9889933-8-9
Ebook ISBN: 978-0-9889933-9-6
Copyright Tyrean Martinson November 2020
Publisher: Wings of Light Publishing, Gig Harbor, WA, USA
Professionally Edited by Chrys Fey
Cover Art and Interior Design by Carrie Butler
