With Gratitude

By Deborah Raney

On this Thanksgiving Day, when we count our blessings and thank God for His goodness and mercy toward us, my mind turns to the blessings I’ve been given as a writer. These are just a few of the things I am grateful for each day as I sit down at my desk to do the work God has called me to.

• A home and an office there. Even though for many years, my office was merely a table in a corner of a small living room, that corner was mine, and it allowed me to shut out the rest of the busy world and create stories.
• Technology that allows me to write so much more efficiently today than when I first began this journey almost 25 years ago. I’m grateful for references and resources at my fingertips, a laptop that allows me to work almost anywhere, word processing programs that tell me if I’ve misspelled a word and that give me synonyms and antonyms with a tap, and e-mail that saves the many dollars I used to spend in postage getting manuscripts and letters back and forth to my editors and publishers.
• Teachers and parents who encouraged and nurtured the gift I had for stringing words together and telling stories. I’m especially grateful I was able to look up a few of those teachers after my first book was published and thank them for the role they played in my writing career.
• Editors who have the gift of refining my words until they shine. I don’t think most editors realize how vital they are to an author. I have no doubt whatsoever that were it not for my very first editor, the late Sharon Asmus, I would not still be telling stories and selling books 24 years later. I’ve had many other wonderful editors since Sharon, and I appreciate each one more than I can say.
• A husband and family who have supported me so wonderfully, even when it was hard and required sacrifice on their part. I am so grateful for their love and encouragement along the way.
• Writer friends and professional organizations like ACFW. For this extrovert, I’m not sure I’d have made it this far without my virtual water-cooler friends! You have stretched me, encouraged me, cheered with me, cried with me, and I’m forever grateful!
• The failures. Yes, even the failures—and there have been more than a few. But I’m sure I’ve grown spiritually as much or more through my missteps and failures as I have through my successes and victories. So, difficult as it sometimes is to have a book rejected, to receive a harsh review, or to not win an award I’ve hoped for, I’m grateful for the character those failures have built in me.

Wishing a very happy Thanksgiving to all my ACFW friends. May God bless you richly today and always.

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. Twenty years, thirty books, and numerous awards later, she’s still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. Her newest novel, Reason to Breathe, just released from Gilead Publishing. She and husband, Ken Raney, are enjoying the empty nest in Wichita, Kansas.