Thankful Thursday - Four Days Early

So Thanksgiving is almost here!  I had planned on a "things I'm grateful for" post.  Then I read that Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings put out his Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge, so I knew I had to follow through.  Even though I couldn't get it together in time for SNGF, here are my answers to Randy's challenge:

Courtesy of
The Graphics Fairy

1.  The ancestors I am most thankful for:  Well, I have lots of interesting ancestors.  They led challenging lives and stayed tough through hard times.  They were brave people, they crossed oceans for a better life.  But the ones I'm most thankful for?  Has to be my mom and dad.  Hands down and 'nuff said.  (No, there are no Pilgrim ancestors; she's for decoration only!)

2.  The author I am most thankful for:  Well, I'm so new at this I'm still very much at the Genealogy for Dummies level.  But the authors I'm so thankful for must be all the wonderful, busy people in the genealogy blogging community.  What an amazing bunch of folks!  Do they ever sleep?  New posts all the time, full of family memories that make me smile or blink back tears.  Tech tips to keep me learning something new every day.  Overviews of latest research experiences.  Reminders of upcoming events.  And every person I've interacted with is so nice and so helpful!  Plus, honestly, when I began my blog a month ago, I was sure it would basically be a writing exercise for myself.  But some kind people are actually reading it.  What a supportive community!  For them, I am grateful!

3.  The historical holdings I am most thankful for:  I'd say it has to be the Latter Day Saints' collection.  Besides their own FamilySearch.org, they are responsible for fueling much of what I find in other places, like Ancestry.com.  Plus, they're just nice folks. 

I'm also grateful for and to our local Genealogy Discussion Group.  Since I had my "basic training" there, so many have welcomed me and shared their tips with me.  Another fun group of people!  (Noticing a theme here?) 

Despite the many things I may complain about, there are many other things I'm grateful for:  my dear family and friends, my wonderful husband, my furry little cat, my great boss and job, medical advances, having my health...  Really, my life in general is pretty darn good.  Compared to life for my great-grandparents, grandparents and even my own mom and dad, I've got nothing to complain about and everything to be grateful for.  Now is a good time to appreciate my blessings and reflect on that.