Made it through…

…sort of.

I spent much of Thanksgiving writing and reading.

My sister invited me for dinner with her family. It was delicious and delightful. I didn’t overeat, much, until the pie. I intended to take a small piece of each pie home, for later. Didn’t make it out of the kitchen. Glad I didn’t take whole pieces. LOL! She sent leftovers home with me. Poor me. 🙂

I didn’t want to think much.

As I walked to her home, I was overwhelmed by memories of my dog. When I came home, I read Grace beyond Grace’s Thanksgiving thought http://gracebeyondgrace.com/2013/11/28/gathering/ and was again overcome by how much I miss my furball. She shows up in several of my books, one way or another. My horse has also made an appearance.

This is not where I planned to be at this point in my life. However, it isn’t an entirely bad place to be. I’m reveling in opportunities I never imagined would be mine. I never thought I’d own a horse, either, and I did. I never dreamed I’d be a published author. I am. I’ve lived on three continents. I’ve worked in Yellowstone. I’ve worked for the airline. I used to go to Sea World for the day, because I could. I also wanted to be home in the evening to take my dog for a walk. I did. God guided me to friends I never imagined I could have. People who love me and aren’t out to use me. I’m remarkably healthy considering what I started out with; by all accounts and purposes, I should never have grown up. For so many years, I could never plan beyond the next week. Five year plan? How? I knew it would change much sooner. It’s 2013 and I have books planned and contracted for publishing through 2017. I have impossible plans for the next year, but I’m learning to do the impossible. No, my life did NOT turn out the way I planned. I can’t even say it turned out better. It turned out different. I am grateful for what I have now. But I still miss her.