Thanksgiving gave me time to pause, time to reflect on the changes happening in my own life and all around me. It made stop and think about what I truly hold as important. Blogging for the past five years, has given me the space in which I form and share ideas. I write about books, art, people, and concepts that intrigue me, that I want to learn more about. By writing, I come to understand things at a much deeper level.
If you asked me what was the one thing I could not live without, I would say – Writing. From a very early age, writing was my favorite form of expression. I didn’t have to go face to face talking with someone. I could sit alone and write what unfolded in my mind. That was very appealing to me. My first writings were animal stories. I emulated the stories I read in Thornton W. Burgess’ Old Mother West Wind Tales. I drew pictures of each little character and woodland setting. I became immersed in the stories, both the ones I read and the ones I wrote. They became inseparable to me. Writing was a wild escape, that let my messy monkey mind roam free.
There are many writers, teachers, and just plain folk who influenced my writing. Two of the writers that I am particularly grateful for this season are both teachers and writers. They have read my writing and have given me constructive feedback. They have helped to move me forward in my writing. Sometimes, I feel like my progress is moving at glacial speed, probably because it is. But I’m not about rushing about anymore. I want to take my time, describe my thinking, and explore more deeply. I tell myself that is okay. And it is for now.
When I was first setting up my blog, Ruth Ayres invited me to post on her site S.O.S: Sharing Our Stories. Without Ruth’s invitation and encouragement, I would not have made my writing a weekly process. It still would be intermittent, waiting for some muse to spark its production. Ruth and the writers I met on S.O.S. helped me to become a more purposeful writer. They showed their interest and shared their ideas, which lead me to have more questions. They became steppingstones to my exploration of poetry, art, and education. I wrote more frequently and more broadly. I had articles and poetry published. I felt less alone in the world.
This week, Ruth wrote on her Choice Literacy: Big Fresh site, a note entitled “The Hunt for Celebrations.” She recounted a Thanksgiving memory from a difficult time in her life when her family visited her then twelve-year-old daughter in a locked facility. Ruth’s honesty and sheer determination has helped forge my identity as a writer. At the end of the note, Ruth suggests that you should continue to search for celebrations in the midst of whatever turmoil you are going through. Sometimes you must hunt long and hard for it but make no mistake it will come to you and help you continue on.
Reading Ruth’s words this Thanksgiving helped me to pause and be grateful for all that is good in my life. I stopped measuring my Thanksgiving in terms of the Thanksgiving feasts shown on television or the ones described by the friends who have lots of children and tons of relatives. My Thanksgiving was mine own at home with my husband – simple, quiet, and full of introspection, just the way I like it.
During my writing journey, I have made friends with many other writer-teachers from across the country and around the world. It is quite amazing the connections the Internet creates. I gained a much broader perspective, and I’ve learned so much about how people live their lives. One blogger with whom I connected was Fran Haley. Her writing jumped out of the screen to me. I felt an immediate bond with her. I’ve used her blog posts as lessons for my students. I wait eagerly to learn about her life each week. Her poetry is exquisite, her faith uplifting, and her love of family clearly evident. Even though we have never met ,I feel like I know Fran, that we speak the same language, that we are connected in a much stronger way than if we were next door neighbors or school colleagues. Through our writing, we have gotten to know each other in a much deeper way. For that I am eternally grateful.
So, in this season of thanksgiving and celebration, I am appreciative for all the good in my life, for connections with fellow writers, and for this writing life that urges me to keep hunting for the celebrations.
l
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 
Indeed, you have been blessed with as a wordsmith!
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We have very similar connections in the writing-blogging world. I am so grateful to have this supportive community. It keeps me writing!
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Joanne,
I, too, am so grateful for the Ethical ELA community and now the Slice of Life community. Both for the push and encouragement to write and for the deep connections to others like you who share their thinking and feeling.
Love this description of your writing life history:
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this is a really sweet tribute to your inspirations and the words that you have put out into the world. I have quietly called 2025 the year of the pen since I have written more this year than ever before and even SHARED some of it more broadly, which I have never done before. Thank you for being a part of this supportive community.
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I love reading both Ruth’s writing and Fran’s as well. Sometimes we just connect with other writers in a way we don’t connect with those we see every day ~ and we know them on a deeper level. I’m grateful for you and for this entire community of writers. What a gift!
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DearJoanne – your post is brimming with gratitude, which is, alongside love, a life-changing force. You invite us to drink deeply of gratitude’s richness. I, too, am grateful for all the support the writing communities have given me over the years and how they have helped me grow as a writer. Growth cannot come without practice and encouragement. Ruth is a special person; I treasured every bit of her inspiration with SOS. And YOU are a special person! As I mentioned to you in recent correspondence: You’re a light-bearer and heaven knows we need more of these. Your bright, positive spirit has lifted my own on many occasions. I marvel at the beauty you find all around you…yes, even in the darkest places. Thank you for your gracious words about my writing; this means much to me. I have stepped away from it a bit to make room for some needed reading (as you know) and will return to putting words on the page and screen. Every day, throughout the day, I am writing in my mind. Constantly. It is more than craft or artistry. Words, their rhythms and their depths, are a pulse. Heartbeats. I could go on about this lifeblood that you also know so well…let me end here with the word that lingers in my mind for you and your word-dancer work: Grace.
Thank you, sweet friend.
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Thank you, Fran, for your kind words. I agree with you about Joanne’s post. She vividly shows how gratitude (with love) is “a life-changing force.”
xo, ruth
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I really appreciate your ability to put into words the gratitude and necessity of having a writing community. Your line, “I come to understand things at a much deeper level” resonated deeply for me and I realize that is what both scares me and draws me to writing.
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I am glad you shared Ruth Ayer’s powerful story, and theme. Choice Literacy, her voice and the voices of that community, like this one, support all of us on our journey of discovery. Thank you!
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Thank you for your kind words, Trish!
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Jo-jo, this is beautiful. I am reminded (like Fran pointed out) that gratitude is a force that makes a difference. Sometimes life becomes hard and it makes me wonder if a little celebration makes a difference. You remind my heart and soul that it does.
xo, ruth
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Thank you, Ruth. You have touched so many writers (and still more to come). I just wanted to celebrate you and Fran. The spaces that you, Stacey, and Sarah provide are SO important. They lift writers up, and that’s crucial in building a writing life which sometimes can be lonely and uncertain.
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