thankful · writing

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stacey Shubitz
I thought & thought about the graphic I wanted to use for this post. I settled on my almost two year-old daughter’s pre-Thanksgiving art project. (BTW: It’s a turkey.)

I’ve been counting my blessings every day this month. I’ve been thankful for a simple Sunday spent with my family to my willingness to make revisions on something I thought was finished to a drive thru Starbucks to my daughter’s laughter that fills our home.

Have you been taking part in 30 Days of Thanks or a similar challenge? Regardless of whether you’ve participated in a month of thanks, I’m sure you’ll spend a few minutes — whether it’s in aloud, in writing, or in your head — expressing gratitude today.

Before you sit down to dinner this evening, take a moment to do one or more of the following things.

  1. Thank a family member, friend, or colleague for a small kindness they’ve extended to you. While a text message or an e-mail is nice, a handwritten note or live conversation (i.e., in person, via Skype/FaceTime, or on the telephone) is even better.
  2. Leave a comment about someone or something you’re thankful for today.
  3. Craft a writer’s notebook entry or a blog post about what it is you’re thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day. If you prefer a poetic structure, then try writing a Thanku.
  4. Make a donation to your local food bank: with food, with your time, or with a check.
  5. Consider helping out a group of kids who were effected by Hurricane Sandy. You can fund part or all of a teacher’s proposal over at DonorsChoose.

For readers outside of the United States who aren’t celebrating Thanksgiving today, please check out our blog’s archives to find what it is you’re looking for. You can do a category search too! Both the search bar and category search can be found by scrolling to the bottom of this page.

Published by Stacey Shubitz

I am a literacy consultant who focuses on writing workshop. I've been working with K-6 teachers and students since 2009. Prior to that, I was a fourth and fifth-grade teacher in New York City and Rhode Island. I'm the author of Craft Moves (Stenhouse Publishers, 2016) and the co-author of Jump Into Writing (Zaner-Bloser, 2021), Welcome to Writing Workshop (Stenhouse Publishers, 2019), and Day By Day (Stenhouse, 2010). I live in Central Pennsylvania with my husband and children. In my free time, I enjoy swimming, doing Pilates, cooking, baking, making ice cream, and reading novels.

9 thoughts on “Happy Thanksgiving!”

  3. Thank YOU for this post, and your many others. To keep the idea going, try a gratitude journal. Every day list 5 things you are grateful for. It’s almost always hard to limit the list to just 5, and you don’t have to. Just helps us realize how fortunate we are. There’s a saying or quote that goes something like: “If the only prayer you ever say is thank you, it is enough.”

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