I am thankful for my Mom, who makes everything possible.
I am thankful for my dogs, present and past, who fill my life with joy and laughter.
I am thankful for my blogging friends and my friends-in-real-life who listen and give so much of themselves.
I am thankful for my students, who challenge me and entertain me and teach me and keep me on my toes.
I am thankful for my family, near and far, who keep me connected to the past and the future.
I am thankful for my Hebrew teachers and fellow students who keep bringing me closer to the dream of seeing and hearing and feeling Israel for myself.
I am thankful for books and TV shows and movies for keeping me informed and entertained and alternately distracted from and attached to the world around me.
I am thankful for good food, especially yummy food like pizza and sushi and chocolate frosting, for making life so rich.
I am thankful for my memories, because they make me who I am.
I am thankful for rainy days and talkative birds and flowers and leaves of every color and I am thankful for dreams of snow days yet to come.
And I am thankful for hope, because it has gotten me through so many rotten days when nothing seemed okay, because it allowed me to always, always, imagine something wonderful up ahead.
I hope everyone had a wonderful (entertaining, complicated, meaningful, delicious, and peaceful) Thanksgiving.
And a Happy Chanukah to come for those who celebrate!
If you haven’t had a chance yet, please check out my Young Adult novel, Yeshiva Girl, on Amazon. And if you feel called to write a review of the book, on Amazon, or anywhere else, I’d be honored.
Yeshiva Girl is about a Jewish teenager on Long Island, named Isabel, though her father calls her Jezebel. Her father has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with one of his students, which he denies, but Izzy implicitly believes it’s true. As a result of his problems, her father sends her to a co-ed Orthodox yeshiva for tenth grade, out of the blue, and Izzy and her mother can’t figure out how to prevent it. At Yeshiva, though, Izzy finds that religious people are much more complicated than she had expected. Some, like her father, may use religion as a place to hide, but others search for and find comfort, and community, and even enlightenment. The question is, what will Izzy find?
rachelmankowitz 
Happy Chanukah, Rachel!
Thank you!!
I am happy and thankful when I see your post in my Inbox every Saturday evening. Cricket, I love your running commentary on your mom’s post. How would she do this without you?! Happy Chanukah, Rachel!
Thank you! And Cricket thanks you for recognizing her genius!
This is such a fun and thoughtful list of things you are thankful for. “I am thankful for books and TV shows and movies for keeping me informed and entertained and alternately distracted from and attached to the world around me.” This one resonated with me, since I try to be informed and so often the news takes me to my knees. Then something truly inspirational shows up and I feel uplifted again. Gotta stay attached – like it or not! Jello and I send happy Chanukah wishes to you and yours! 🐾
Thank you so much!
That is really sweet, Rachel. All your dogs, past and present, are such darlings! Wonderful post.
Thank you so much!
When we stop to think about it, there’s much to be thankful for, isn’t there?
There really is!!!
Such a beautiful and heartfelt post. Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Chanukah.
Thank you! To you too!
Wonderful sentiments.
Thank you!
Such Beautiful Thoughts of Thanks – we should all make such a list, thanks for making me think about all the things that I am thankful for as well~!
Thanks for posting it and also thanks for being one of my favorite correspondents.
SAM
Thank you so much!
I love your thankful list. It’s so hard to believe that Chanukah is tomorrow night. The grandkid’s gifts are not even wrapped.
Thank you! And, really, I think wrapping paper is overrated.
I agree. I have gifts bags too. The bed in my sewing room has everything piled up on it.
Although we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in Australia, I have been giving a lot of thought lately to this thing we call gratitude. My poet’s group just published a collection of our works and decided to donate the proceeds to the local high school’s student welfare fund. The teacher who is also head of the welfare department spoke about how kids learn gratitude/thankfulness when they are the recipients of such a gift which shows that others care. Not all young people receive the care they should and thank you for sharing your story in a previous post. I may not always tick like or comment but I do read your posts and enjoy the photos of your canine friends. May you feel blessed in this season of celebration.
Thank you so much! And you too!
Lovely things to be thankful for.
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this Rachel. Have a blessed Thanksgiving and a blessed Chanukah as well. Stay healthy and safe.
Thank you! You too!
That’s a great list of things to be thankful for. I particularly like the inclusion of chocolate frosting. Hope you all had an enjoyable Thanksgiving and Happy Chanukah.
Chocolate frosting makes everything better!
😎
Your list shows that there is lots to be thankful for, even in a quiet life. A timely reminder to any of us that complain about our lives for no good reason.
Best wishes, Pete.
Best wishes to you too!
A beautiful, personal list. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you!
A wonderful post and terrific list! 🙂
Thank you!
You are most welcome.
A list of things to be thankful for is a very good list. Fab. And thank you for sharing.
Thank you!
Always good to take time for thankfulness and gratitude. Thanks for sharing Rachel. Allan
Thank you!
FYI I posted my reading of the first chapter of Yeshiva Girl for my podcast yesterday. I hope I did your words justice. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an incredible book https://aprolificpotpourri.art/2021/11/27/short-story-saturday-yeshiva-girl-a-novel-chapter-1-the-arraignment/
Wow! Thank you so much! Such a wonderful Chanukah present!!!!
😁👍No problem, I will be reading your entire book over the next two and a half years on my podcast.
That’s amazing!!!!!!!!!
So many things to be thankful for, every day. Happy Chanukah, Rachel, and also to your precious mother.
Thank you so much!
Rachel I’m thankful for you too. Every time I see you have visited my blog I smile and feel gratitude. Thank you !
Thank you so much!
Happy Chanukah. ✡️
Thank you! You too!
Thank you for blogging and sharing your perspective on life
Thank you for reading!!!
I love your heart-felt gratitude list from the past pets to chocolate frosting. I’m thankful for many of the same things. Happy Thanksgiving, Rachel!
Thank you! And to you!
Thanks for being my friend! Happy Holidays!
Thank you too!
Happy Chanukkah, Rachel!
Thank you! You too!
What a wonderful list of things to be grateful for . Truly wonderful. Happy Chanuka to you and yours Rachel
Thank you so much!
Love it!
Thank you!
Great post. Beautiful ’thankfuls’.
Thank you!!!
Hanukkah Sameach to you and your mother. Thank you for sharing your thankful list. We don’t celebrate thanksgiving herer in the UK, but seem to have adopted black friday for some reason. I’m not sure we have got the right bit of the holiday? We review our affirmations each year for our wedding anniversary. It really helps to reflect and review our year discuss and plan ahead.
That’s a lovely ritual!
There was no special meal and no get together but it was a warm day here on Thanksgiving. My elderly neighbor Merv had his cat go missing, it was the fourth day and I decided to go looking. He spends a lot of time in my yard and I knew i could get him to come to me to bring him home. I called and listed and called. Then I heard his voice. He was trapped in the crawlspace under a neighbor’s house! I let him out and he walked home with me. Merv was so overjoyed to see him again. The cat was thankful for rescue, Merv was thankful to get him back and I was thankful I decided to go looking. Not a typical Thanksgiving but a very special one. Thankfulness is good for the soul and I loved your list.
That’s beautiful!!!!
And I thank you for reading my blog so regularly. Sadly, I’m currently “caught up” in taking care of my elderly mother and will likely not be blogging much for awhile.
Don’t forget to take care of yourself too!
a beautiful gift of thanks and happy Hanukkah too Rachel!💖
Thank you!
indeed!💖
I read it again this morning. Wonderful.
Thank you so much!
Your dogs are so cute! Hope you had a Happy Chanukah!
Thank you!