Overheard on... Facebook

"I'm thankful for...."

I love a day dedicated to gratitude! And last night, as I lay cuddled under my cozy covers in bed I thought how very grateful I am for my bed... my place where I can go to relax and escape and dream. And, I suddenly realized how very awful it would be to not have a bed or not know where I was going to sleep. It would be the culmination of every insecure feeling in me.

It is easy, during crazy family holidays, to forget that I am so blessed. So today, while I am grateful for my friends and family, and opportunity to write and readers who read what I write, I am even more grateful for my bed and what it represents... and I pledge this coming year to use part of what I have been given to let others find the security that comes from knowing where they will be sleeping every night.

On November 30th I will be sharing a new story of a crazy Family Thanksgiving at Free Reads from the Genre-istas. I think Jessica (from BETTING JESSICA) would be surprised that her nemesis, Cynthia, doesn't have the perfect life she imagines. Here is a preview to kick off your own Thanksgiving celebration!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours and thank you for making my year so wonderful!
Deanne

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A Family Thanksgiving Menu
by Deanne Wilsted

Starter –Toasted Family Topped with Disappointment Tapenade

As Boston blew its icy November wind through the double paned windows in Cynthia Madison’s downtown apartment, she wrapped her faux cheetah throw around her shoulders and snuggled deeper into the soft suede sofa by her fireplace. The crackling flame threw off heat, but not enough to offset the chill of panic that had come to rest in Cynthia’s body. She stared with unseeing eyes at the calendar in her lap and wondered how Thanksgiving had snuck up on her this year.

Glancing at the nearby phone, she considered her choices. Was there anyone available who might invite her to join them for the holiday? Her mind was empty of options. All of her friends were travelling, and she was currently between boyfriends; something that was unusual for her in general and absolutely so during the holidays. Usually she depended on using her boyfriend as an excuse to avoid the very dilemma she now found herself in. Annoyed with herself for having forgotten to plan better, she contemplated her only option other than staying home alone: This year she would have to accept her sister Erin’s invitation to their family Thanksgiving.