With A Thankful Heart

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

The older I get, the more quickly the year passes. It seems we just observed the Fourth of July and here it is, Thanksgiving. Here’s the kicker—Christmas is less than a month away. As usual, I haven’t purchased the first gift. Heavy sigh.

But, this week, we celebrate Thanksgiving. Two of our four sons will be with us this year. One is our married son who will have our lovely granddaughters with him, along with his beautiful wife, our Daughter-in-Love. It is always so good to hear the laughter of our two granddaughters filling our home. And, it’s such a blessing to see two of our boys communicating with one another as grown men.

Those are only a few of the things we are thankful for this year. 

Forty-Six Years and Counting

Jim and I look at one another and marvel at how gracious God has been to us. He’s granted us forty-six wonderful years together, thus far. Our four sons are well and happy. We are in reasonably good health. We’re getting up in our years so we are thankful that we can still see, hear, taste, think, and here’s a big one—drive to those places we need or want to be.

We’re thankful for the lovely home we have. Our doors are open to friends and family and a few have taken us up on our open invitation. We’re thankful for those friends and our family. 

My Big Sister

This year, we celebrate the life of my precious sister, Bobbie. She was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer in October of 2015. The prognosis wasn’t good. She had chemo and a whole lotta prayers, and lived cancer-free for almost three years. In late 2018, she was told it was now metastatic. Sis was extremely ill and was hospitalized for eight days. Thanks be to God, she’s doing amazingly well, and we are so very grateful for all the prayers on her behalf.

Book Contract

This past week I received the first round of edits for my book that will be published next year. I am so thankful for the doors that opened to me in the past six years at Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, BRMCWC. The friendships formed there, the knowledge gained there, led to a contract with Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, now a part of Iron Stream Media located in my husband’s hometown, Birmingham, Alabama. 

Second Voice

God had bigger plans for me than I ever imagined. The first blog post I wrote was titled, My Second Voice. As a soprano, I knew I wouldn't be able to sing forever. It just doesn’t turn out that way because of the aging process. But I never thought I’d be writing books. When I wrote that first novel in the seventh grade, God heard the desires of my heart. Believe me when I tell you, it is never too late. And don’t limit God. Dream big. 

Teachers, Mentors, Friends

I’m thankful for all the friends I’ve met at Blue Ridge. I’m thankful for the teachers who have poured so much of themselves into the classes they have taught. I’m thankful for the mentors who have taken me by the hand and guided me through this process. I’m thankful for my editor who has taught me so, so much, even beyond just words on a page. I’m thankful for my critique groups—Blue Ridge Writers and Word Weavers Upstate. I’m thankful for my brainstorming partners.

My Savior

But mostly, I’m thankful to Father God for the gift of His son, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who was born an infant, fully God, fully man, who suffered and died for my sin and the sin of the world.

As we celebrate the season of thanks this Thanksgiving Day, what are you most thankful for? This is a tradition at our table - saying what you are thankful for.

Today and always, I pray abundant blessings for you and your family. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

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