This year I have the privilege of participating in an event called ThankfulAuthor. This event is taking place on Angela Hayes’ blog, and what it is, is two authors a day for the month of November share what they’re thankful for. This is now the third year that ThankfulAuthor is taking place, and having been well-received in the past, I’m glad many will get to see my response this year, as I believe it’s an important one.

I titled it “I’m Thankful for What?!!?” because what I share may not be popular, but I think it needs to be said. Here is part of my post:

When I signed up for #ThankfulAuthor, the gears in my mind started turning, trying to figure out what I’d want to say. There are simply too many things to be thankful for! To narrow it down to just one was hard. And I didn’t really want to say the same thing that everyone else does. Often you hear people quickly throw out there that they’re thankful for God, their faith, or perhaps their family and friends, or you might even hear one or two say they’re thankful for their jobs. Those aren’t bad things to be thankful for, and I’m beyond thankful for those very things myself. But I wanted to share something less common.

One thought that hit me was that I could share that I’m thankful for where I live. I’m a resident of the great state of Michigan! What’s unique about my exact location is that unemployment is low, the community is pretty safe, and the weather is outstanding. I mean, we rarely see tornadoes, feel only slight tremors from earthquakes, if even that, and wild fires and hurricanes are not something we even have to worry about. The beauty of spring, summer, fall, and winter are fully experienced, making me scratch my head as to why anyone would ever want to leave!

But as grateful as I am for my home here in Michigan, there is something else that I’m thankful for that deserves to be shared with you all. It might leave a lot of you puzzled, but try to bear with me here. What I’m thankful for is my…suffering. The word suffering here could also be replaced with hardships or struggles, if you want. Now why on earth would anyone be thankful for that? Let me explain.

Perhaps the best example…..

Please check out my example, as well as the rest of my post, at Angela Hayes’ site: https://authorangelahayes.blogspot.com/2017/11/thankful-author-2017-frances-hoelsema.htmlp://www.authorangelahayes.blogspot.com

And since we’re talking about being thankful, I’m thankful for you! I’d like to repay all of you for your support! So today and tomorrow only, here are some cool deals:

1. Growing Up Neighbors – FREE – www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJGYW40
2. Next Door Neighbors – FREE – www.amazon.com/dp/B01D8XZJ1U
3. Unfortunate Events (my newest) – FREE – www.amazon.com/dp/B075FG5MJM
4. What to Expect When You’re NOT Expecting – $0.99 – www.amazon.com/dp/B07375G9WJ

Thank you for everything, and may your Thanksgiving be grand!