A Grateful Heart by Martha Rogers
Thanksgiving has always been a special time in our family. I am most thankful for our family that has now grown to eighteen members with number nineteen due in December. It’s a time to reflect on all that God has provided for me and our family in past years.
I am thankful to be here to celebrate with our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Although several of them won’t make it home this year, they will be in our hearts and minds as we gather around the table.
As a child I remember that even when times were rough for my single parent mother with three children, my grandparents always made sure we had plenty at Thanksgiving. Even when we spent the holiday with my dad and his parents, my grandmother always made sure my sister, brother, and I had leftovers to take home with us and share with mother.
Several Thanksgivings we’ve shared with others who had no family to visit and would be alone on the holiday. Those were some of the best ones we had. One year, our three sons were with their in-laws, and we were invited to spend the day with a couple who were long time friends and their family.
As a breast cancer survivor, each year that passes since my last surgery becomes more special. God had a purpose for my survival, but I had no idea it was to fulfill my life-long dream of writing Christian fiction as a published author. At the age of seventy-three, my desires came to fruition with my first contract for a full-length novel. Since that signing, ten books have been published and five more are under contract.
Of course not every Thanksgiving has a happy memory. My father died shortly before Thanksgiving and that first year without him was difficult because he loved my cooking and being with us.
One of the best things now at Thanksgiving is to celebrate our granddaughter’s birthday which is on November 30th. We’ve watched her grow from a precious baby girl to a beautiful, talented young woman who will again celebrate her birthday with family this holiday.
This year I will give thanks for good health, a wonderful family, my writing, and for God who supplies all my needs from His great riches through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Martha Rogers is a free-lance writer and the author of the Winds Across the Prairie series as well as the novella, Key to Her Heart in River Walk Christmas. Her second series, Seasons of the Heart, is now available as is her Christmas novel, Christmas at Holly Hill. She was named Writer of the Year at the Texas Christian Writers Conference in 2009 and is a member of ACFW. Martha and her husband live in Houston. In addition to her works of fiction, Martha has stories in a number of compilations as well as devotional contributions to several anthologies and writes the weekly Verse of the Week for the ACFW Loop. She is a retired teacher and lives in Houston with her husband, Rex where they enjoy spending time with their grandchildren and attending football, baseball, and basketball games when one of the grandchildren is playing.
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