It is the first year of twelve, as the founder and editor of the Good News Network, that I was able to pay myself a small salary. For that, my husband is exceedingly grateful, after shouldering the burden of paying the mortgage and supporting our family with three children — and funding my vocation as a good news town-cryer all these years! So, I am very thankful, as I am making a difference in the lives of thousands of people, that they value my service enough to reward me for it.

– I am grateful for my family's good health. So many are challenged by disease and diagnosis, and they often become heroes in their own lives, overcoming and coping with sickness in their families. May they find new paths to healing, or, at least, the blessings of eventual peace and acceptance.

– I'm always thankful for my home and its beautiful surroundings outside of Washington. I always appreciate the fresh air, flowers, and gorgeous natural world around me (and always say, "No wonder I can be so optimistic!" (See photo.)

– I'm grateful that the United States has a president who has displayed so much grace in the face of so much adversity and challenge.

– I'm thankful that I have the awareness that I need to exercise more and return to yoga. I'm happy in the assurance that it will manifest as action soon.

– I'm thankful for my sisters, who provided many hours of laughs and conversation over the telephone from hundreds of miles away, at a time when my friends are busy with their own lives and not as available as they once were.

– I'm delighted by all the advancements my teen-agers and husband have made in their own lives this year. By following their intuition, and with determination and insight (sometimes beyond their years), they have brought joy to our family and success to their own paths. They call all be proud of their accomplishments.

– I'm thankful for Brian Williams and the people at NBC Nightly News who brought more good news to light than any other media outlet this year. Their inspiring reporting on the good things happening in the midst of economic hard times has been a great resource for me, and their free videos an endless well of stories for Good News Network viewers.

– I was thrilled with the invitation to talk with NPR's All Things Considered in March to speak about the need for good news, and  grateful to the Washington Post reporter, Dan Zak, for his feature article on me, and Katie Couric who talked about me and the Good News Network on the CBS News, saying it was "Nice to know that good news is only a mouse-click away"

– With the recession and misery in the world this year, I am uniquely aware of all the inspiring people helping to ease the pain in so many people's lives. I am most grateful for their stories — and the hope they give to so many.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers!