This Thanksgiving, God of the Desert Books is Thankful For You!
Reasons to be grateful are everywhere - especially on our Substack subscribers list!
Even though I've been a vegetarian nearly my whole life, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! But you might not know it from watching me at the Big Meal: The main dish is out, of course. The stuffing has bacon in it, and so does the green bean casserole. I have an insurmountable neurodivergent mental block against the texture of mashed potatoes, so I skip right over those. And oh, look! There's also ham!
Nahhh, I generally eat two plates of cheesy potatoes and corn casserole, then move on to the sugar cream pie as adults who have known me for 39 years look on in dismay. And of course, since I'm sober, I can't join anyone in opening what I'm sure is a lovely bottle of wine.
So clearly, my love of Thanksgiving is not about the food. And shockingly, it's not the shopping free-for-all that comes right after that post-carb nap: I'd rather eat my own hair than be in a crowd like that. What is it, then, that makes Thanksgiving so special to me?
Honestly? It’s the gratitude. I truly can't get enough of it.
In fact, for decades now, the way I counteract feeling angry, frustrated, or out of sorts has been to thank God for five things from the day so far. I also do it before I go to bed each night - although they have to be different things, if I’ve already done this earlier in the day to chase away a bad mood.
Sometimes I'm immediately thankful for big stuff: “Lord, thank You for not letting that SUV hit me when the driver ran that light!" “Thank You for these antibiotics, God! They're a legit miracle!" By now, I can even sincerely say, “Thank You for this jackhammering pain in my arm and shoulder, Lord, because it means I still have nerve activity in those places." And "Thank You so much for sending me my partner, God - I absolutely adore him,” is always on the list.
Other times, though, my thankfulness is utterly banal: "Thank You that I was able to find my good green sweater, because I really wanted to wear it today!” “Thank You that I finally made time to go get my oil changed." “Thank You for helping me get that stupid form sent in!"
And other times - lest this activity actually begin to make me a better person - I find I'm thankful for things that are purely, embarrassingly selfish: “God, thank You that there was one last pair of those beautiful ivory bouclé flats left in a size 8, and I got them!” Or "Thank You for creating pizza delivery, Lord, because I really don't feel like going to pick it up myself!” “Thank you, God, that Vons had the good street corn dip in stock today - the one that isn't too spicy, because that other kind gives me a runny nose."
I know: it sounds like a major case of Main Character Syndrome, right? As if God had coordinated these things just for me. I do know He didn't, but I make a point to appreciate them anyway.
So despite the self-evidently huge amount of spiritual growth I still have before me, I do think there's value in learning to find gratitude everywhere.
And this Thanksgiving, I don't have to look very far to find something pretty major to be grateful for.
I am incredibly humbled and thankful for the progress our publishing company has made in finally bringing books to market - and, more importantly, I'm grateful for our community of writers and readers. It is truly David's and my privilege to be entrusted as the stewards of so many incredible stories; to be responsible for bringing those stories to their most appreciative readers.
As excited and gratified as any author is to get an offer of publication for their book, we are just as moved to serve as guides on each and every one of our writers’ adventures. If the opportunity to serve in this capacity is not a rare and precious gift, I don't know what is.
So if you see this post, know that we realize we couldn't do this work without every contributor and every reader. We're grateful for you, specifically: yes, you! We know your attention is pulled in dozens of different directions, and we can't tell you how much we appreciate it when you spend some of your valuable reading time with us.
From the God of the Desert Books family of authors and from our own little family of David, Jasmine the puppy, and me, we thank you for your support - and we wish our American readers a wonderful Thanksgiving!
