Of Thanksgiving, Family, and Fiction

I've often joked that my life is more complicated than a soap opera. I don't even have a large family but we have tons of drama. Lives, loves, births, deaths. Sound like your family? Of course it does. Because normal is relative. Okay, add in some more factors: marriages, children born with life-threatening birth defects, deaths of children, divorce, Internet romance, home mortgage foreclosures, unemployment. Still in the ballpark of your own family? How about manic depression, depression, suicide threats and attempts, sibling rivalries that cause family feuds, teen drug dependence, teen drug rehab, teen marriage, grandchildren, major car accident with felony eluding charges. Still sound like it could be your immediate family?

I write fiction and I wouldn't even write a character with these many life-altering elements. But when I talk to people about their lives, the theme that runs through most conversations is how very many folks seem to feel like their lives have been interesting, have had more ups and downs than a Lifetime Movie Network movie.

Through all of the upheaval in my life, I hold onto the thanks that God gets me through. So even though this Thanksgiving, our family is a little scattered with no way for all of us to get together, there are things I am thankful for. I lost my job in October but am starting a new one next week. My family are safe and happy. We are in relative good health. We are not rich and not likely to ever be wealthy. But we always receive our daily bread. The Lord always provides. We have love for one another. If the list of things I'm thankful for seems shorter than the list of all our family woes, it's because love and God are at the heart of everything for me. Our family may be all kinds of messed up, but we love one another and we have God on our side. These may be only two things, but they are the most powerful things on any list in the world.

As my family and I sit down for Thanksgiving, whether we are sharing the same meal or not means far less to us than the fact that we have each other and our hears are anchored by God and the love He has for us and we have for one another. May your holiday hold everything you need to make you happy this holiday season.