With Thanksgiving in the United States later this week, I wanted to write just a short blog post to mark the occasion before turning my attention to family and food. While this year has been like nothing else I've ever experienced, I find that I still have much to be thankful for.
Despite the pandemic that still threatens us and keeps us away from so many people we love and activities we enjoy, my family is safe, healthy, and secure. These are no small blessings, and the past year has made that abundantly clear to us. In addition to my thanksgivings for health and home, I feel a deep gratitude for something that has been an outlet and companion for most of my life. Books!

Characters in books are some of my oldest friends. I can well remember my parents reading stories to me long before I learned to read the words myself. When I finally could make sense of the letters on the page, a whole universe opened to me right there on the bookshelf. I read for pleasure throughout my childhood and teen years and into young adulthood. I admit I slowed down quite a bit when my children were newborns and toddlers, but meeting other bookish moms helped me reconnect with books and with myself.
Books offer me wisdom and comfort, help and escape, adventure and knowledge. And right now when we're all safer at home, books still give me a window to the world. As I first wrote about in a blog post last March, books help us when we have Nowhere to Go But Everywhere. Stories are a gift that you can give again and again. A story is never used up no matter how many times it's shared. In fact, sharing books with my children is one of my greatest parenting joys, as I wrote about in another post about my New Childhood Favorites.
All this brings me to another thanksgiving. I am grateful for you! Launching my blog into a crowded and noisy internet took all the gumption an introvert like me could muster. I held my breath the first time I clicked the "publish" button. Now I'm so glad that I did. Thank you to all of you who have so kindly read my book blog each week. I'm truly thankful for your time and encouragement. I have much more planned for the future, and I hope you'll enjoy what's coming over the next few months.
In the meantime, have a Happy Thanksgiving in whatever way you're celebrating this year. Above all, best wishes for further reading!
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