We had a lovely Thanksgiving. How about all of you?

My guess is most people are doing one of three things today. Either they're working, or they're shopping, or they're lounging around in the wake of an abundant dinner. And when you think about it, all three options are pretty wonderful, aren't they? That's because it means you have a job, or you have the money to shop, or you have plenty to eat.

Once in a while I like to pause from my usual cadre of socio-political commentary to count my blessings, and I can think of no finer time than now.

I'm thankful to have Jesus as my savior. Where would I be without His sacrifice? I'm thankful for our church, which offers a foundation of worship, learning and community. I'm thankful to be married for the last 26 years to my husband. He's stuck with me through thick and thin, hard times and easy, good times and bad. Together we've raised two remarkable daughters, created businesses and built a small farm. Marital unity is an astounding blessing. I'm thankful for our kids. Now 18 and almost 21, they're grown up to be decent, practical, level-headed, intelligent young women. A mom couldn't be more proud of them. I'm thankful for my parents and brothers, who illustrate that stable happy families can still exist in today's nutty world. I know it's fashionable to feel "guilty" for having been raised with a warm and loving family, but tough patooties. I'm thankful for our health. Although we've had a few ups and downs, right now we're all healthy. Anyone who has lost his or her health will understand my gratitude. I'm blessed by the medical community. Without modern medicine, I'd be orphaned, widowed and bereft of one child by now. I am more grateful than I can say for hard-working doctors, nurses and hospital staff. I'm thankful for our friends and neighbors. They're a wonderful group of people. I'm thankful we were able to homeschool our girls, and to offer them the rare advantage of an old-fashioned and innocent childhood. In an era of jaded, promiscuous and entitlement-driven teens, our girls and their friends are breaths of fresh air. I'm thankful our kids didn't grow up staring vacant-jawed at a television screen or personal electronics for hours each day. Instead, they read, played, built forts, developed their imagination and otherwise DID stuff. I'm thankful to live in a rural area. I've never liked cities. My roots are in the country. I've always had an affinity for nature and wildlife, and now I'm fortunate enough to live where I'm happiest. I'm thankful for our homestead, which has afforded us endless learning opportunities in self-sufficiency. Our failures keep us humble. Our successes add to our knowledge. In today's modern world, it's the rare person who is truly connected with his food sources. I'm grateful for our livestock, despite the times they break out of fences. Raising critters keeps us grounded and responsible. It teaches us (and especially our kids) to understand the cycle of birth and death. Our animals provide us with food – meat, milk and eggs. They provide us with manure, which we compost and use to enrich our garden. And they provide us with responsibility – we must always be attentive to their needs. I'm thankful for America. Despite its flaws, it still offers the greatest freedoms of any place on earth. I'm thankful for all the hard-working blue-collar workers who comprise the backbone of this nation and whose combined efforts make our lives a zillion times easier. I am thankful – really really really thankful – that Hillary Clinton will not be our president. I'm thankful for our abundance. As demonstrated by Black Friday and other retail events, we do not live in a land of want; we live in a land of plenty. For most people, our physical needs and most of our desires can be met easily. Flick a switch, lights come on. Push a handle, I get clean potable water. Store shelves are full. How cool is that? I'm thankful for modern conveniences such as electricity, cars, phones, the Internet, etc. Although sometimes I rail and lament about the pitfalls associated with these conveniences, they have unquestionably rendered our lives easier. I'm thankful to work from home. Living as remote as we do, there are times the weather does not encourage stepping foot outside the house. At such times, we can continue doing what we do to earn a living without facing a difficult commute. I'm thankful to write for WND and other organizations. I've wanted to be a writer since I was a child (you should see my earliest-known story about Glinda the Fish, written when I was 7), and to achieve that goal, however modestly, is a dream come true. I'm thankful for my readers. A writer isn't much good without readers. Good, bad, or ugly, they give me inspiration and encouragement, cyber-love and cyber-hate. They mourn with me and rejoice with me, take me to task when I've done something wrong, and in all ways keep me motivated. I'm thankful we're not rich. I know that sounds strange, but it's true. Our history of home employment has honed our frugality skills and given us the tools to live with an uncertain economy. I'm thankful we're preppers. Having the "supplies, knowledge and community" (the three pillars of preparedness) offers a great deal of peace of mind during difficult times. I'm thankful people are starting to awaken from the apathy that has seized our country for the last few decades. We're beginning to realize the government is not our friend, and maybe it's better to look to ourselves to solve problems instead of expecting the government to do it for us. I'm thankful for the millions – billions – of genuinely nice people out there. We only hear news stories about the bad people – but how about the good ones? The ones that offer a smile, pick up garbage, help the homeless, volunteer in endless venues and otherwise make this world go round? A resounding "thanks" for being nice.

This is the season to celebrate our blessings. I hope you'll be inspired to do the same ... and thank you for being a reader!

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Learn how to achieve a simple lifestyle without "going green" or joining a monastery. Read Patrice Lewis' helpful book, "The Simplicity Primer: 365 Ideas for Making Life more Livable"

Media wishing to interview Patrice Lewis, please contact [email protected].

