I shared an invitation on here to Give Thanks. Now, I’d like to just share with you, my wonderful audience, the things that I gave thanks for on Facebook over the course of a week (though my final entry was on the eighth day, the day after Thanksgiving). It was a humbling, uplifting experience, and I am filled with a sense of gratitude for all of these that I wrote an entry for, and for so many more things, too numerous to count. I hope never to forget what I have.

(I kept the hashtag as an effective way of separating my entries)

Sam was all burrowed under the blue blanket (I had to lift the edge up to reveal his face) and perfectly happy as he lays against my knees, getting pets and loves from his human! I just had to snap a picture!

I am grateful for my dogs, my furry, four-legged little friends, and how they brighten my days.
#GiveThanks

Today, I was able to talk to my grandmother on skype. Tomorrow, I’ll do the same with each of my parents. I am grateful for the technology that lets us stay connected even across great distances, not only on skype, but on facebook, through email, and the internet. It was not so long ago that such wonders were unheard of, and I wish more people appreciated it, and their loved ones, more.
#GiveThanks

I am grateful for music. It is an expression of the soul, and often good for the soul, much like the stories we tell. Like this YouTube artist covering “Life is a Highway,” and in such a simple, sweet, fun way. It made me smile.

Life will be good as long as we can laugh, tell stories, and make music.
#GiveThanks

I am thankful for clean air. The fires here in Oregon were so big and so close that the smoke saturated the air, veiling the sun, turning the entire world grey with a faint neon-red hole, almost the color of blood, where the golden sun ought to have been. I was honestly pretty scared. We fasted and prayed for relief from this, for the winds the change and the rains to come and douse the fires and clean the air. We waited, but not for long, really. The rains came within a week, and then they came again, and the air was clean. And I was never so happy in my life to see the sun shining as it should. Which, coming from me, says something.

I am thankful for clean air, and for answered prayers.
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I am thankful for my family. Not just that I have a family, or that I have a family, but that this is my family. We have our problems, our disagreements, our ongoing issues, but there is no doubt in my mind that we love each other, and we will always be there for each other. We are rather protective of each other, and I love that about us. Especially since I’ve seen families that are anything except loving and protective towards each other. It just boggles my mind that anyone could do that, because mine is always there for me. Thank you, God, for my family.
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I am thankful for stories, in all their forms (books, movies, anime, games, audio, told around a campfire, etc.). I am thankful for how they reflect us, and our times, and keep a little piece of us alive forever. I am thankful for how stories teach and inspire us in a way nothing else does. I am thankful for the stories rattling around in my head (now, if I could just manage to get them out of my head and onto the page…). I am thankful for the conversations we can have and the ideas which are born from the stories we share.
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Not to use something as good as this to self-promote, but I am grateful for my blog, and the friend who inspired me to begin it. It has been my den, my refuge, and one of the only places of late where I have been able to share that little portion of my soul that only comes out through written words. I have been able to discuss a variety of things about the stories we tell, I have been able to gush like a fanboy, I have accepted and complete challenges, and every Sunday I have made it a point to share a quote and my thoughts on it, in the hopes that I might be able to spread just a little light from my life into someone else’s. I am grateful that I have been able to do so, to be of some service in my own way.
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I am thankful for the rain that replenishes the water that we all need to survive. I am thankful for the light of day that warms and sustains us. I am thankful for the cool shadows of night that we may rest peacefully in. I am thankful for the beauty of winter, the hope of spring, the labor of summer, and the all the colors of life in autumn.
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I am thankful to have a job. It’s a pretty safe job, and it provides an income that meets my needs. That is no small thing, especially now.
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Not only do I have food, but I have *delicious* food, and *nourishing* food, and *plenty* of food. There are a multitude of factors which go into the production of said food, everything from the weather to the labor of farmers, ranchers, food processors, the transportation industry, the markets, and me having the means to pay for it, and the power necessary to use the appliances which let me cook it, and store it, and the industry which produces the dishes and cooking utensils involved… there is *a lot* which goes into feeding me and those around me, and it’s all produced by the freedom of capitalism, thank you very much. Oh, and the grace of a merciful God. There is a reason I thank Him in every prayer said over my food.
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I am humbled by the knowledge that I am so richly blessed that I will never be able to really count all my blessings. I will never live long enough to name them all and say thank you. And, of course, I find that I take many great blessings for granted. So, I just want to express my gratitude for everything I take for granted, and say how thankful I am for being so blessed that I *can* take things for granted.
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The best of my friends is Scott Bascom (his pen name, anyway). A better friend, I could never imagine. I am thankful to know him, and to have him as my friend, the brother of my soul.
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I am grateful for the light of truth in my life. I am thankful for the power of knowledge. I am especially thankful for the hope of the gospel, and the gift, and hope, and power of repentance, that I might continually change to become better tomorrow than I was yesterday.
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This may sound like a small thing but I am thankful for a soft place to sit, that I might rest my legs, my rear, and my back in comfort.
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I am thankful for a solid roof over my head, with solid walls, and a solid, clean floor. I am thankful that we can make it warm when it’s cold, or cool it down when it’s hot. I am thankful for a soft bed to sleep in, warm and safe, especially since I have had beds which felt like freaking slabs of marble to lay on. I am grateful for my backrest. I am grateful for the appliances we use to cook and to clean our food, our laundry, and ourselves. I am thankful for strong, clean clothes aplenty. I am thankful for clean water, and for power.

I am thankful for that my needs are met, and for the many luxuries I take for granted.
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I am thankful for time; for all the time I have in this life, all the time given to me, every moment I am still being given; time for working and earning my keep; time for eating, resting, and generally seeing to my necessities; time with my family, friends, and pets; time to have fun, to read, to write. I am so thankful for the time I have.
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I know we were instructed to do this for seven days, but I have one more thanks to give, for today.

I slept in waaay late, which was magnificent. I took care of my dogs and had breakfast with my nephew. I wrote a post for my blog, though it may need some editing, which is a goal I have for my days off. I also have a tremendous number of pictures on my computer to sort through, and I have a goal that every day I have off, I go through a certain number of them. I did that. I had lunch with my nephew, feasting on leftover pizza. I put on Christmas music and we put up the tree together, and a couple other decorations. We basked in the Christmas tree lights, with my dogs collecting pets and loves. He finished his chores for the week. I finally put up my karate belts to display on my wall. He got to borrow one of my books after his chores were done. I believe I have given my nephew a little motivation to behave better, so here’s hoping. I played on my fairly new Switch. We had hamburger helper for dinner together. We lazed around in the evening. Read scriptures, he showered, I took care of the dogs. And my newest game for the Switch arrived.

All in all, a good day. I am thankful.
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