Tag: thanksgiving

I’m Thankful for What!?!?

Posted on by Frances

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!

What I Like About…

Posted on by Frances

 

It’s that time of year again where, in Michigan, we start feeling the effects of changing into a new season. The hot days of summer are slowly making their way to the cool (frigid, if I’m honest) days of winter. Whether you call it fall or autumn or whatever name there may be out there for this season, it’s hands down my favorite. Here’s why:

  1. As mentioned above, the temperatures are dropping! Typical weather in Michigan during the autumn months are mid-50s to 70 degrees. To me, that’s perfect! Add in the days where you have full sun and you’ve got a teeny weeny taste of heaven!
  2. The leaves are changing! I do like it in Spring where things comes to life and the leaves start appearing, but something I like even more so is when these leaves show us just how creative and brilliant and gorgeous our Creator is! I don’t even have a favorite color. I like them all! From dull browns, to sunny yellows, to fire oranges, to burnt reds, the trees display a vibrant work of art. Having said that, it brings me to another reason I like fall.
  3. Fall color tours! I absolutely love waking up on a crisp morning, getting some coffee or hot chocolate (whatever mood I’m in) and a donut, and then driving the day away on scenic roads, admiring our view. Michigan has so many routes to explore!
  4. Apple picking! Hands down a must do during the fall with the family. My kids love picking apples with us. We have an orchard just a tad south of us that offers unique varieties of apples, all of which are tasty.
  5. Fall-like desserts! With all of the apples that my family and I pick, we have to do something with them! My favorite has to be apple crisp! A couple of years ago I found this recipe that is just to die for. Anytime I make apple crisp, that’s the recipe I run to. It’s also a fan favorite of many family members. More than one person begs me to make it every year. It’s that tasty! But don’t stop there. I love pumpkin rolls, apple fritters and other apple/pumpkin donuts, and so many other things that it’s just not healthy, lol!
  6. While we are talking about food, let’s add in a drink. APPLE CIDER! Oh man, this stuff is delish! It’s sort of a staple at our house from September until about mid-November.
  7. The holidays are approaching! That’s right, I actually look forward to the holidays! I love Halloween, Thanksgiving, and most of all, Christmas. It’s just the time of year that gets exciting. Busy at times, but so worth it!

While for some it’s a reminder of busy-ness or snow or even the time when school is mandatory, autumn is by far the best time of the year for me. There’s just something about it that makes me come alive! What’s your favorite season? Why?