Jonas and Hattie hate Thanksgiving, but Pity Isn't An Option! (#giveaway)

It's one day before our last meal.
Last.
I will never, ever think of that word the same way again.
All the dismal events that have happened over the past few years remain tucked away in the shadowy party of my mind--the part that holds on to all things dark with a death-tight grip. I try not to visit them often, try not to remember what they are.
But--they are there--this I know. And they aren't going to go away. At some point, the shadowy part is going to run out of room, and everything sad and hopeless and catastrophic that has happened so far will overflow. That's what I have to look forward to soon: To the moment when my brain can no longer absorb it and all the darkness and sadness and oppression will burst out of their gates and fill my head with ominous sludge.
I don't know why, but I have this twisted idea that celebrating Thanksgiving a few days early is actually good. If we celebrate it now, before the actual day, the holiday won't be eternally scarred. It won't be yet another memory that looms over  your head, a memory that, year after year, brings a sock to your stomach of that last Thanksgiving day we ever spent as a family as a whole.   

So because Thanksgiving plays a decent role in Pity Isn't An Option (Jonas and Hattie both hate it, but especially Hattie -- those are her words up there), I thought it would be fun to do a giveaway! There will be FIVE winners total, with each winner receiving a Pity Isn't An Option audiobook and an eARC of If I Speak True. There are a few ways to enter, but I made sure that the free option gave you the most entries in case it's the only one you use! (I've posted the giveaway here, AND on my Facebook page.) Have a blessed Thanksgiving, US folks! I can't wait to see who wins! (Giveaway ends this Monday, December 2nd.)
Pity Isn't An Option audiobook  and If I Speak True eARC giveaway: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Heavenly Blessings

I was going to post a query analogy today, but that will have to wait until next week. Today, I'm posting a few things I'm thankful for. But first, a quote...

"The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!" ~Henry Ward Beecher

A few things I'm thankful for:

I am thankful for the way Lovemuffin goes out of his way to make my life easier on a daily basis, thankful that no matter how much I correct him or forget to do the dishes, he still loves me. Thankful for no matter how terrible I look or insane my hair is or how dark the mascara rings under my eyes are when I wake up, he still tells me that I'm beautiful.

I am thankful for the friends who are there to listen to me, who let me ramble on and on about this writerly journey that has to bore them at (most) times, and yet, they keep listening -- who know they can trust me to keep their secrets, and know that I trust them enough to keep mine.

I am thankful for the way my oldest daughter laughs silently when she laughs really hard, who gets my personality and doesn't get embarrassed by me very often, whose usual response is a shake of the head and a "You're weird, Mom."

I am thankful for the way my middle daughter can be utterly frustrated and furious and yell and stalk off to her room, slamming her door and screaming about the unfairness of it all, only to come out minutes later crying and saying she's sorry for making me sad.

I am thankful that my youngest daughter forgives me every time I put her wallet in a new place, to be lost for weeks on end until I happen to come across it again -- for her OCD tendencies, because even though it drives me batty I can't imagine how much messier the house would be without her constantly picking it up.

I am thankful for the view of the sunset right above our back fence every evening -- for having the best seat ever to watch the glowing leaves, the pinks and oranges spread across the sky as the sun melts into the horizon.

I am thankful for books, for words, for creativity -- for people who didn't give up and pursued their dreams to get their stories out there on paper in order to entertain little ol' me.

I am thankful for music, for the lyrics that make me happy, sad, hopeful, energetic. Thankful that if words ever leave me and I'm not sure what to say, I can find a song that explains it perfectly.

I am thankful for the writing community, the huge group of people who not only strive to get their own work to publication, but who also strive to help others reach that goal as well.

I am thankful for a roof over my head, a car that runs, flannel sheets, coffee, clothes to keep me warm, food in my pantry.

I am thankful for hand sanitizer.

I am thankful for cameras -- for photographs of captured milestones, silly moments, the people you love.

I am thankful for trees orange as flames lining the neighborhood yards, for the crisp, cool air that hits my face and makes my head hurt -- because if I can feel it, I'm still breathing.

and finally...

I am thankful that I can see, that I can hear, that I can remember. Thankful that though there are many wonderful people who won't be physically here on Thanksgiving Day, they'll be with me forever in my heart, in my memories.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! =)