I hope you’ve had a wonderful Thanksgiving and all of you were able to spend it with families. Although I’m always focused on the many chores preceding the event-- cleaning and preparing the meal--the true meaning of Thanksgiving is a reflection on the many things we have to be thankful for. I’m most thankful for my family.

I’m not on a grateful bandwagon, but it’s good to remember our blessings. My father died a month ago and as painful as this has been for me, I’m grateful that he lived to be eighty-one and that he had an amazing life. He and my mother gave me the foundation I needed to move forward. I’m grateful for the many wonderful years I had with him. I’m thankful that he had an opportunity to see his great-granddaughter before he died. The list goes on. Sometimes when we’re living in a storm, we forget the good things in our lives.

In my January 2010 book, Safe in His Embrace, an abusive ex-husband forces Senetra Blain to start her life over with a new identity in Homer, Alaska. But it isn’t long before she meets Alex Wilson. Although this wonderful man has literally fallen in her lap, it isn’t easy for her to trust again. She left all her friends behind, but she quickly makes new friends.

Alaska is a beautiful state. I’ve always dreamed of going there and I did in my imagination as I explored the plot and scenery of this book.

Senetra reminds me of the old saying “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Sometimes in the midst of our storms we find something wonderful.

Are there times in your lives when something great has happened to you in the midst of your storms? What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

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