Before Blackberry -- b.B.b. -- I had written many novels. None were published.
B.B.b. -- I had also written half of a memoir about my experience with breast cancer. I didn't finish it. I really didn't want to spend another year of my life describing that year of chemotherapy and radiation.
B.B.b. -- My husband and I were trying to write a musical together. We fought more about characters than we ever did about our finances or taking out the trash.
B.B.b. -- Our daughter was smart and talented, but a little more socially awkward than most.
So, b.B.b., life wasn't always so good.
In 2004, we adopted a little black kitten. Our daughter named her Blackberry.
A.B.b. -- My husband and I stopped writing that musical.
A.B.b. -- Our daughter found an amazing group of friends at her new middle school. She kept those friends, and every year has added more.
A.B.b. -- I have continued to be cancer free.
A.B.b. -- In the summer of 2005, I started writing a humorous adventure story called Nature Girl. It wasn't published until 2010, but I knew I had found what I was meant to do.
My husband jokes that Blackberry changed our luck. I'm pretty rational about correlations and coincidences, but I have to wonder if he's right.
And so in this Thanksgiving month, I want to acknowledge how grateful I am for all the good things in my life. I know that I am lucky to have opportunities to share my stories, the blessings of friends, and especially our good health.
It's nice to know our black cat has our backs.
