Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. What I like best about it is the simplicity - giving thanks. (Ok, maybe it's a little about my mom's pumpkin pie.) No glitz or gifts. It is distilled into family and friends gathered for a sitdown dinner to enjoy each others company. There may be some cut throat Scrabble games, but it's all in fun.

In a year that has been smutched with the media's reporting on the economy, home foreclosures, the Bernie Madoff scandal and swine flu it's hard to find something going right. Thank you Chesley B."Sully" Sullenberger,III Hero of the Hudson for giving us something to remember and celebrate by just doing your job.

So here are the top three things on my personal gratitude list:

         
         A country home with too many deer in my yard
         Freedom to create, bringing out pieces of me that have no words
         Family that has given me a strong foundation, sense of humor & freckles
         Friends that inspire, make me laugh & know when I need wine
      
Yes that was four things and the list could go on. Care to share what tops your list of gratitude for 2009?