Holiday Edition - Thinking About Thankful Things

Wow, can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted! Sorry, y'all -- I was on the road and then the holidays got here and now...it's almost Christmas!

Here I am addressing a marketing breakout session at this year's annual Cat Writers Assn. conference in White Plains, NY, just before Thanksgiving. I met some fabulous new friends and decided to join the group. What a passionate and fun crowd!

So, I'm thinking about things to celebrate. Here's a brief list off the top of my head:

1. I am a great aunt. I mean yeah, I am a great aunt -- I dig my nieces and nephews and I think they feel the same about me. But this year I became a Great Aunt, as in the title. Meet the Shafer clan's newest puppy, Connor Mark Beaudet:
   
   
   
2. Yesterday was the shortest day of the year, so it's all uphill toward the light from here! For those of us afflicted with SAD (seasonal affective disorder, also known as light deprivation syndrome), this is great and hopeful news. Hope you all had a great Solstice. Speaking of which, here's an awesome song that perfectly captures the wonderfully ethereal feel of being out in a snow-covered forest, surrounded by trees with ice crystals sparkling in the air: It's a song by Anuna, titled "Winter Fire and Snow."
   
   
   
   
   
3. There's at least one little boy with his heart in the right place about Christmas. This evening, Orlando, Florida Cub Scout Zach Wilson was interviewed on NBC Nightly News as part of its "Making A Difference" holiday segment. He started an animal food pantry and it gave out an average of 800 pounds of food a week until Thanksgiving. The past four weeks, the demand has spiked, with the pantry distributing between 1800 and 2000 pounds of food per week. Read more at Animal Crazy.
   
   
   Zach is kewl. And couldn't you just squeeze those cheeks?
   
   
4. This one's about me, but it's pretty cool: I learned yesterday that I've been nominated to receive the 2009 Merial Human-Animal Bond Award for editing Almost Perfect! This award best highlights the special bond between people and their treasured pets, promoting the strengthening of this bond and highlighting the special relationship between a dog and its owner, as well as between dogs and veterinarians.
   
   
   
   I am so honored even to be considered, and especially among such awesome company (our pal Barb Techel, Frankie's mom, won this year and she sure deserves it)! If I win, I'll probably explode with excitement as soon as I believe it's true. Of all the kinds of things one's work can be recognized for, I can't imagine anything I'd rather be acknowledged for than helping critters in some small way. Here's the announcement from Dog Writers Assn. of America.

Okay, so among many things, those are the ones I'm thinking about being thankful for right now. How about you -- what's warming the cockles of your heart with gratitude as you look back over 2009 and ahead to the New Year?