by Jackie Houchin
Come, ye thankful people, come,
Raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in,
Ere the winter storms begin;
God our Maker doth provide
For our wants to be supplied;
Come to God’s own temple, come,
Raise the song of harvest home.
Henry Alford, 1844
This familiar old hymn reminds me of Pilgrims and Thanksgiving. As it happens, my favorite holiday occurs on the last Thursday of November. To me, Thanksgiving means distant family gathering together, good food, laughter, games, turkey and pumpkin pie, a chill in the air, and perhaps a family walk in the neighborhood to “digest” that second piece of pie.
As writers, we have much to be thankful for: ideas, good words, venues, promotions, agents and editors, readers, and (sometimes) reviews.
On this blog, we’ve talked about ideas and how we get them, good words and how much we enjoy writing them (even IF our readers seldom notice), and the various ways we promote our work. Recently, it’s been at author signings and book fairs. ALL things to be thankful for.
As readers, we’re grateful for good books in the genres we love, authors who keep those books coming in the series we’re addicted to, blog posts that encourage and inspire, lyrics to songs we enjoy, and even those pithy/humorous ditties we see on Facebook.
Writing words and reading them. What a joy!
Writers can show their appreciation for readers by consistently producing well-written books, stories, and articles, meeting readers in person, and (yes!!) offering the occasional discount or freebie book!
Readers can show their gratitude to authors by sharing their fave books (or blog links) with friends, and by word-of-mouth or written reviews. A two-line review is not THAT hard to write!
So readers, what are YOU grateful for this November?
(We at The Writers In Residence are delighted that you show up each week!)
I’m always thankful for words and eyes to see them, good words put together in marvelous ways, and most of all, for THE Word of God.
All the world is God’s own field,
Fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown,
Unto joy or sorrow grown;
First the blade, and then the ear,
Then the full corn shall appear:
Lord of harvest, grant that we
Wholesome grain and pure may be.
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The Writers in Residence 
Wonderful words Jackie. As a writer I’m grateful those ideas come to me so I can write them down. I’m grateful to the teachers who encouraged me to write, my parents who knew I’d do just fine moving to California to give my dream a try and to my late husband, Richard, who made my dream of being a writer come true. He said he’d make it happen by telling me to retire early and write. So between him and God and my friends and family and my readers, I’m a writer. Thank you all.
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I love this, Gayle. Your heart sounds very thankful!
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I have a great deal to be grateful for, including much of what you’ve listed here. Thanks for the reminder.
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Yes, we do, Miko. Keep writing those excellent books, and your very fun blog posts.
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There is so much to be thankful for: for our wonderful Writers’ World, where we get to use our imagination and disappear into any world we can think of. I am so very thankful for my wonderful late husband who kept telling me, “This is America: You can do and be whatever you want if you are prepared to work for it…” I am thankful for all my friends and fellow writers on this Very Special Blog, who have encouraged and supported me for so many years. And I am very thankful and proud to live in America and be a proud naturalized American Citizen! Happy, happy Thanksgiving.
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I am thankful to be part of this wonderful blog. I’ve learned so much from each of you. Happy Thanksgiving!
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