Many, Many Thanks

The youngest daughter and I have safely arrived at my mother's house after a great road trip from Hilton Head to Annapolis.  We talked and laughed and reminisced about the long drives we took in past years; she remembered growing up listening to Howlin' Wolf and Etta James and pretending to play to blues in the back seat.  We listened to James Brown all the way through Virgina, totally missed our exit because we were groovin' to the hardest working man in show business, and found our way with the help of my daughter's smart phone.  Missing:  the hard-working oldest daughter and my hard-working husband. 

I'm grateful for all the memories my daughter and I have together, and for the way we can laugh at ourselves and each other.  My birthday is this Saturday, and like Merlin, I'm aging backward.  Has this ever happened to you:  I sort of forgot how old I was.  Last year and the year before did feel really long--I guess that's why I mentally added two extra years to my age.  A little simple math cleared that up.  So I'm very thankful that I'm actually two years younger than I thought I was!

I'm also very thankful for the community of book lovers I have met and connected with in the past eleven months or so.  I continue to marvel at the kindness  and great-heartedness of the book-blogging community.  I love your comments, your encouragement, your readerly interest.  I love the conversation, gentle readers, and I love discovering that you love books as much as I do.  I've spent more hours than I care to admit browsing though my Google Reader, learning about the readerly passions of book bloggers.  Have a gentle Thanksgiving, gentle readers, and many, many thanks!