A Grateful Author

On the eve prior to the official day of thanksgiving, I wanted to offer a few things I was thinking about today.

First, I am grateful to have been born in, and to live and work in, a country where freedom of expression is valued, even if it is controversial, and where it is protected for all.

Second, I am grateful that through technology and the foresight and ambition of others there are several venues by which independent authors, such as myself, can make their creative voices heard today and for future generations.

Third, I am grateful for those who provide encouragement and support of authors and poets, as do the members of this writer's group and other writers' groups across the global community, who keep one another focused and help one another overcome obstacles they may be facing.

Fourth, I am grateful to those local, national, and global businesses who take the time and invest space in their shops in support of traditional and indie authors by making their books available for sale to the communities they serve. In my area, that is our local Hy-Vee, the Nodaway News Leader, the Maryville Daily Forum, the Nodaway County Historical Society Museum, and Minnie Lane.

Finally, and most importantly, I am grateful to God, who has graciously granted me the opportunity to write, the ability to learn, the desire to know and understand, and who has provided a supportive community through which to continue to develop the variety of skills and abilities it takes to pursue such a challenging and rewarding endeavor.

Susan Cronk