Grateful

I hope you all had a wonderful week of Thanksgiving with those you love. Until we moved to Missouri three years ago, we were rarely able to be with our kids for Thanksgiving, since they all lived far away and planned to come home for Christmas. And if we had to choose, we would rather have them for Christmas. But we’re grateful that this year we got to spend the holiday with all but one of our kids and all but five of our grandkids. (Trey’s family is in Texas and they have a baby too small to travel so far quite yet.)

But our oldest son, Tarl, and his new family drove to Missouri to meet Tarl’s sisters for the first time. We had a wonderful few days, and it felt as if Michelle and her daughter had always been part of our family. We are so grateful for the blessing and gift they are to us! We had Thanksgiving at our house, then on Friday we had breakfast at Tavia’s and lunch and supper at Tobi’s. It made for an easy, no-stress holiday to share the meals that way.

Here are just a few photos from our time together:

It was a special, special week, but today, I need to put my nose hard to the grindstone for three weeks. I have two edits that are due before Christmas, the audiobook files for Breath of Heaven to listen to and approve, a podcast to record (with our own Cara Putman and Tamera Alexander), a virtual book club appearance, and a speaking event—all before we head to Arkansas with our daughters’ families to meet up halfway with our Texas sons and their families for an early Christmas!

I pray that you and yours enjoy these weeks leading up to Christmas and that God will bless you with the special joy and peace that comes from resting in His perfect love.

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Deborah Raney

DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. Forty books later, she's still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. Her novels have won RWA's RITA Award, the ACFW Carol Award, the National Readers Choice Award, and the HOLT Medallion. She is also a three-time Christy Award finalist. Deb is on faculty for several national writers’ conferences and served on the executive board of the 2,500-member American Christian Fiction Writers organization for 18 years before retiring in 2022. She is a recent transplant to Missouri, having moved with her husband, Ken Raney, from their native Kansas to be closer to kids and grandkids. They love road trips, e-biking, Friday garage sale dates, and breakfast on the screened porch overlooking their wooded backyard.

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