Thankful Thursday–April 2020

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Update: Judy Parks is this month’s Thankful Thursday winner. She’s been informed. We hope she enjoys the books!

When the Wickeds started our Thankful Thursdays in March we had only an inkling of what was to come.

Some people are struggling with the concept of gratitude right now. On the one hand, life is challenging, no doubt. Figuring out how to get food can take up most of the day. On the other, you don’t have to look very hard to see those who have it far worse–people who are sick or have sick family members, people who are financially desperate, people who don’t have a warm, safe place to live or stay.

Do these huge problems render yours meaningless? You still feel your feelings, right? Wickeds, let’s accentuate the positive. What are you feeling grateful for right now?

One lucky commenter on the blog will win a gift from each of the Wickeds. To find out what see below.

Edith/Maddie: I am so very thankful for a healthy family. Beyond that, thank you to electricity, the mailman, and everyone in the food supply chain. Seriously, I can keep working thanks to my laptop being powered up, and I can keep in touch with the world (in both directions) thanks to the wonderful young man who delivers our mail (including royalty checks) and picks up my outgoing mail (including books I owe contest winners). Having done my high-speed (and masked) Market Basket run on Tuesday, thank you to all who grow, transport, stock, and sell food. I will give away an ARC of Nacho Average Murder.

Sherry: I’m thankful that my husband, daughter, and I all enjoy each other’s company. We laugh so hard we cry sometimes. I’m also thankful my daughter likes to cook. She’s made some amazing meals that she doesn’t have time to do when she’s working. I’ll give away an ebook of any of my books to the winner.

Liz: There are so many things to be thankful for in the midst of all this insanity. I am grateful to have a safe place to be during all of this, and like Edith said, that I have the ability to work and to have all the food and supplies I need. I am also exceptionally grateful for my health and the health of my friends and family – every single day. I’ll give away an arc of Witch Hunt.

Julie: I’m grateful for the tech that is keeping us all connected, and the for the post office who is helping us get books to you! I’ll give away a copy of any one of my books, readers choice!

Jessie: I so grateful for time with my family. My husband has been traveling almost non-stop for work for the past three years but has been working from home since mid March. It has been just lovely to have him here. I am also so pleased to have two of my four sons here with me and to know that the other two are safe and healthy thus far and that I can still get my eyes on them regularly through the magic of technology! I’ll give away a copy of any one of my Beryl and Edwina books of the winner’s choosing.

Barb: I’m grateful that I’m 12 days into our 14 day quarantine and feeling fine after our exodus from Key West. (You can read all about it tomorrow.) I’ll give one copy of Haunted House Murder to the winner.

Readers: One of the things we are always thankful for is our readers. Leave a comment on the blog to let us know what you’re thankful for and you could win a gift from each of the Wickeds.

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Published by Barbara Ross

Barbara Ross is the author of twelve Maine Clambake Mystery novels and six novellas. Her books have been nominated for multiple Agatha Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and have won the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. She lives in Portland, Maine. Readers can visit her website at www.maineclambakemysteries.com

112 Thoughts

  1. I am so thankful that all of my family so far has stayed healthy. My two daughter-in-law‘s are nurses, one of which works in the ER of a big city. I have been pretty anxious about that but so far they are safe and healthy. ❤️

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  2. I’m thankful for a job where I normally work at home and my husbands job is one he can do from home as well. I’m also thankful that even though we live in a hotspot my entire family remains well (including my sister who is not a homebody and is really struggling with staying home, not working and not seeing her grandchildren!). There is so much to be thankful for, it’s hard to list it all!

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  3. I’m grateful for my loving son and 3 beautiful granddaughters. I have to keep reminding myself of this and my friend that I have known since I was 3 has the virus and then as they were weaning her of of the ventilator she had a massive stroke. It is so hard to know that she has to be all alone, no family. I consider myself her sister as did she. I am also grateful for books that help to take my mind off of all of this if even only for a little while. I am grateful to all the authors that think of your readers in times like this also. Please stay safe.

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  4. I am thankful that I am still employed. I already worked for home so that wasn’t something new. I am also thankful for neighbors that have checked on me to make sure I was doing alright.

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  5. I’m thankful that Mark and I are still employed. I work for a great company who is doing well, so I was never concerned, but Mark’s company is struggling (and was before this started). We’re being very frugal in the event he gets laid off. I’m thankful the people I love are taking this seriously and I don’t have to punch anyone. 🙂 I’m thankful we’re all staying healthy.

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  6. So much to be grateful for. I’m grateful that my Mom taught me to keep a well-stocked pantry. I’m grateful that hubby is retired and can stay home with me. I’m grateful that we have a small acreage outside of town giving us room to be outside and enjoy nature without being close to anyone. I’m grateful for God’s critters which visit us daily to keep us entertained and show us there is beauty in this world. I’m grateful, that even with health issues, at the present time that we are healthy and are able to self-sufficient. I’m grateful for wonderful friends who have checked on us seniors to make sure we were ok and didn’t need anything. I’m grateful for all those that continue to work, sometimes directly with the virus, to keep this country going, necessary stores open and operating and medical needs met. I’m grateful for living in a country where we can openly celebrate our creator and our beliefs. ❤ And lastly but not in the least, I’m grateful for wonderful authors like the Wickeds who continue to write giving us wonderful books to read and your generosity in your giveaways!
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  7. I am grateful for my family and friends during this difficult time; for the members of my 12-step groups who quickly mobilized and converted to Zoom format to support each other and to help the newcomer

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  8. I am thankful that my family is healthy. Also that I am still working. Some days I wish I could work from home, I work in daycare and we got a special exemption to stay open to care for the children of essential workers, but I know I am needed.

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  9. I am thankful for my family. Those at risk are safe and my children are bringing us groceries and helping with the yard work. We stay in touch on Face time and on the phone (yes, real phone calls!). Other than being considered “elderly” by my dentist’s office when they called to cancel my appointment, we are all dealing with this isolation just fine.. Spring helps – the flowers always lift my spirits.

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  10. I am most thankful for my husband and pets who make my life better every day. And, I am grateful for being able to work from my snug and safe home.

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  11. My gratitude list very long: Being retired means SS and annuity checks keep us from suffering financially. Having a my husband here in a safe, warm, home with a nice yard to spend time in. My daughter having a job, even tho’ it is in a grocery store – she’s grateful to be working at all since her professional job went kaput. She’s in the same position as many professionals. But she doesn’t give up. May she stay safe. Who else? all medical care people, restaurant owners doing take-out, gas stations, groceries, sanitation workers, emergency repair people, fire fighters, police, lawn and tree care people, hardware stores, and any business that is allowed to stay open and does.

    We stay in as much as possible, but bless all these workers (and all the ones I can’t think of off hand) for keeping our country going under these horrible conditions.

    We are very fortunate and have so much to be grateful. My thoughts go out to all who are suffering for financial and medical reasons. ((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))

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    1. I have a cousin who runs the delivery service at a big grocery chain store. She is going crazy and working horrendous hours, but still keeps doing it every single day.

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  12. I am grateful that after over a month of self-isolation, I am starting to feel better (I was diagnosed with COVID-19) on March 21. Still coughing and fatigued, but I have a safe home to fight my way back to health. And I am grateful that my reading mojo is slowly coming back. I started reading 2 ARCs this week, which is the first sustained reading I have done in a month. And I have a full pantry and several grocery deliveries (except for flour) so I can cook to my heart’s content.

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  13. I am thankful for my family and that they are all well. I am also thankful for all my e-friends as they keep me going each day with their whit and support. It is in times such as these that we find the true meaning of friendship

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  14. I am grateful that I completed my move 3/14 before the world totally blew up, this has given me time to settle in, get everything where I want it and help my fur babies settle in to a new environment. I moved in to an apartment right next door, I mean literally our doors are a foot apart, to my sister, we have both been in lockdown for the same amount of time so we can come and go to each other’s place when the walls close in, we finally were able to find food delivery and I am grateful for a large library of my own and a good size TBR pile.

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  15. Right now I am most thankful for my health, and for all of the wonderful, selfless health care personnel who are risking their lives for the public every day. I hope they aren’t forgotten after this is over.

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  18. I am thankful for all the musicians who have put concerts online to keep us 🙂 insane. I am happy for the truck drivers and the farmhands and all those who keep us supplied with good food and I am thankful for my roommate who is invariably fun funny and a competitive Scrabble player and will sing with me if I ask

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  19. I am thankful for my family first but I am also thankful for the doctors, nurses and first responders who have put their life on the line at this time to benefit all others. I’m also thankful for the ability to worship our Lord in this difficult time. We are so fortunate to live in a country where we have so many freedoms that others do not.

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  20. I’m not a fan of the “There are people who have it worse so my problems don’t matter” thing. They do matter to you. I’m much more a fan of the saying I heard recently on a Dana Kaye webinar – feel all your feelings, then move on. Your feelings matter and I think minimizing them will only make you feel worse in the long run.

    That said, I’m very grateful these days. Much of it is gratitude for things others have mentioned, but this morning I am especially grateful to learn that The Boy passed all his classes for the third quarter, making it highly likely he will in fact successfully complete his senior year of high school – whatever that looks like. It was touch and go there for a while.

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  21. So very grateful for my farm and all the busy things spring always brings. Planting more food than flowers this year but both will bring us joy and nourishment!!!

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  22. I’m extremely grateful to have a job. I’m able to do my work from home, and so is my husband, so we are doing OK. I’m also grateful for our cats, who remind me multiple times a day how important it is to stop and enjoy the sunshine (preferably while napping). And finally, grateful for books and the authors who are still working to write new ones.

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  23. I am thankful that we, as a collective, have been given the opportunity to pause our hectic, hamster wheel, lives and have the chance to reflect upon what we are thankful for and slow down and appreciate the simple things. Although I wish we had this opportunity without the illness and death caused by the virus, we must remain thankful for what we do have. Time with family. Time in nature and quiet reflection. And the opportunity to appreciate all the people who help us in our daily lives and don’t regularly receive the appreciation they deserve – the grocery store employees, delivery people, postal workers, restaurant employees, our local bookstores, our teachers, artists who brighten our lives, and so many others. Thank you all!

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    1. I do wonder how we’ll look back on this time. Everyone who was alive in the northeast remembers where they were during the Blizzard of ’78, but that was a little over a week, not months. I am appreciating nature much more–and there is more of it to appreciate with our empty streets.

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  24. I am so thankful for my family especially my sister Ellen. I am grateful we are all safe. I am grateful for all the nurses, doctors, grocery workers and everyone on the front line. I am grateful for God that we live in age where we can attend Mass and pray together online. Reading has helped with stress but prayer even more. Everyone stay safe.

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  25. I’m thankful for my parents. They have been a great ear to listen to me when I need to vent. Since I live alone, they are pretty much my only outlet, too.

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    2. I hear you, Mark. I live alone, too, and it’s no fun being sick with no company. And I don’t have siblings or parents to be able to vent with either.

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  26. I am grateful for writers who keep writing books! And everyone who is working to keep us all safe from warehouse workers, truck drivers, delivery persons right up to those medical personnel on the front lines.
    And my family, of course.

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  27. I am so grateful I was able to retire, care for my mother, and have the abundance I experience. I am grateful my friends and my daughter and her husband, essential health care workers, have remained healthy. I am grateful to see the big hearts and giving hands of people all around me. I am grateful for the opportunity to share what I have, and for the involvement of writing and reading. I am thankful for those who have kept things running, and that their efforts, underappreciated in the past, are now being recognized. Most of all, I am grateful for the light at the end of the tunnel, the sense that this will not continue forever, and that the contributions of all people are newly appreciated.

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  28. I am thankful for my two daughters, two granddaughters and a new one (don’t know if it’s a girl or boy) within the week! We are all okay so far. I am also. Rey thankful for my books to read because I truly think I’d be crazy if I couldn’t read now!

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  29. My mom fell about a month ago. I’m glad that she’s able to get physical therapy at home instead of being stuck in a nursing home.

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  31. Being thankful in every situation is not easy. Sometimes you just have to be thankful for the smallest thing and go on. Today, I’m grateful that the sun is shining where you can see it. Clouds may block your view, but you know it’s there. Thank y’all for continuing to write books.

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  32. I’m thankful for all of you.
    Truly thank you!
    I’m thankful daily that I took my early retirement when I did. It was not an easy decision at the time, but now it is a God send. I’m grateful my Father is fine & so us the rest of my family. I’m so grateful to all the people working to keep life going.

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  33. I am thankful I run a blog, and a County FB page, because it really keeps me busy. I am grateful to family and friends for doing pickups for groceries, pharmacies etc. and even picking me up in mask and gloves to do runs…for the ones that talk long hours and we plan what we will do a year from now. Thankful for the Doctors who still do phone conference calls and the staunch on the front lines Clinics of which a very close Friend is Director of one…there is really a lot to be thankful for…
    Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com

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  34. I’m thankful for my friends and family trying their best in helping each other. That goes for my sister who shops and visits three sets of elderly relatives (including my mom), for my 93 year old aunt who set up a call on her speaker phone because she thought I could do with some cheering up, my friend who had the enormous good sense in signing up for a csa before they sold out of shares and now keeps me in eggs and milk, and my youngest son who is making a real effort in tamping down his fourteen-year-old-ness. I’m starting to realize how fortunate I am that there are so many people that I miss.

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  35. I am also very grateful for family, friends, health, love and home. It is extra wonderful that those who can write books and provide me with such joy in the written word. What a pleasure to find here a place to discuss gratitude. In my quote journals I find myself gravitating to those about gratitude. “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” said Marcus Tulles Cicero “The miracle is this: The more we share, the more we have.” Leonard Nimoy, actor “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” Oprah Winfrey “Gratitude is the closest thing to beauty manifested in an emotion.” Mindy Kalling, Actor And, Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote “…Grateful for another day alive at the same time as you.” “Each of us has cause to think with great gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” Albert Schweitzer So many more…but one last one, “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” Willie Nelson And, maybe that is something good to come from the Covid-19 virus…we are all finding things to be grateful for in our lives. I know I am. Thanks Wickeds!

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  36. There are layers of gratitude these days, aren’t there? I’m grateful that both my kids are home safe (from school and college), and the four of us all have some meaningful work during the day but time together at day’s end. The other night we all made beef bourguignon (with my beagle bumbling underfoot the whole time) and as I was cutting carrots, a lump of gratitude formed in my throat. Also, I feel lucky in that my life hasn’t changed much. I still hike (on more remote desert trails) in the morning and write for much of the rest of the day. The one thing I’ve added since the COVID-19 crisis began is each week I reach out to a few strangers in the reading/writing community and offer something for free–a free book, a blogpost, a Skype call to a bookclub, an editing session. I have it to give right now, and besides it helps me push back against the feeling that my world is diminishing (perhaps to the distance between my desk and my refrigerator!). I loved reading all these posts. Thank you, everyone, for sharing.

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  37. I am thankful for my hubby! He’s a jokester and makes me laugh everyday! I’m thankful for technology at this new norm now. I discovered Zoom and so thankful I can see my daughters faces. Talking on the phone is great but just to see their faces makes me smile knowing they are well and happy! ☺

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  38. I’m thankful I live in such a rural area, therefore we really haven’t been affected much. And I love our small community. My neighbor had his 70th birthday a few days ago and since they couldn’t have a big party, his wife arranged a “parade” past their house of all their friends and family waving and yelling happy birthday. Really neat to see!

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  39. I am thankful for my younger sister who makes sure I have everything I need in the way of food, supplies and clothes.

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  41. I am just so thankful that all my friends and family are safe for the moment. It was my birthday on Tuesday and my sister kept saying to me that she was sorry we couldn’t celebrate like we usually do. I told her that I was so happy and grateful about everyone I know being safe that that was the best present ever. Hope everyone reading this blog is safe and has someone to share the lock down with be it in person or virtual. May we grow closer, appreciate what we have and try to do for others what we can.

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  42. I’m thankful that I’m able to self isolate with my mother and that I have a job that allows me to work from home.

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  43. I’m thankful for my good health and the good health of my family and friends. I’m grateful to have a close friend next door that checks to see if I need anything when they go grocery shopping and are always there for me. I’m grateful for all the essential and front line medical workers, we owe them so much. I’m also thankful that my Sister is an essential worker in the transportation industry and is able to work from home.

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  44. I am so thankful that I am isolating with my mother, my dog Tyler, my older brother, and his wife. Life is good for us. Not too much has changed. I am also thankful for grocery delivery, especially from Kroger and Aldi. I am thankful for the great weather we are having. And that my brother has been furloughed from his job at the airport. I am very thankful for this wonderful opportunity to win.

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  46. I am Thankful for Good Health, all of my family, our pets, birds that sing, all the Beautiful flowers, social media and Most of all to God because He gives us Hope. This too shall pass. Thank you for the chance.

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  47. I am thankful that both my husband and I still have jobs and are able to work from home; and that we and our daughter are all healthy and our extended families are in good health. We are fortunate that we can get out for walks and get fresh air. I’m grateful for the people we encounter (at a safe distance) on our walks who smile and wave. And for the children who draw pictures and leave heart warming messages in chalk on their driveways/sidewalks for people passing by to see. I’m thankful for all the people who are still going in to work that are keeping things running. I’m grateful for my awesome community that has pulled together to help healthcare workers and neighbors. I’m thankful for you all for continuing to share your talents with us and spend your time trying to spread some positivity. Thank you!

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  48. I hardly know where to begin as I hear of so much that makes me so sad and that makes me feel even more blessed with a healthy family and my nice home and all I need as to creature comforts. I do worry as both our son in law and daughter work in companies that make either medicines or medical equipment but luckily our daughter can work remotely at least three or four days a week! All I worry about is the future of our three grandchildren but we are so grateful that all of them are bright and hard working in school and all of the spirts and activities they are/were in prior to C-19. And we are so proud to see them on FaceTime and Zoom doing their online school work and projects to keep up at school. I’m so blessed with a loving family who obeys the rules and makes everyday a day you are glad to wake up to despite what’s outside our doors that could change at any time. But we’ll be there for each other if that sad day were to come. That’s what family is for! We are so very lucky.

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  49. I’m lucky my job is still open even though my hours are reduced. I work in fast food which is considered essential business.

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