Next week, we in the United States will celebrate Thanksgiving. My friends and clients in Canada celebrated Thanksgiving last month. Most countries and cultures have a special day set aside to give thanks for our many blessings and for life.

I plan to drag out the fall decorations and plant them strategically around my home. My day will be spent with family and friends, eating way too much and swapping tales of the past months. For me, it is a chance to come off the road for a few days and to enjoy the luxury of sleeping in my own bed.

I would like to pause a moment to recount some of the things for which I am thankful. I have so many blessings that it would take more than one page to list them all, but I would like to share a few.

I am thankful for all of you, my clients and readers. You fill my days with purpose. We laugh together, plan together, and sometimes, cry together. We move through the challenges of business, economy, personnel and competition. Together we search for answers. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your successful teams.

I am thankful for my friends. Due to my travel schedule, our time together is limited. I cherish the hours we do have. They share my successes and failures. They support my endeavors. We steal away a few, precious hours to play together. A little wine, a lot of conversation, and I hit the road renewed and ready for fresh challenges.

I am thankful for my assistants. I don't know what I would do without my IT guy, Kelly, or Rachel, who makes my training materials come to life on screen. Both are available to me night and day when I scream for help. (When it comes to technical equipment, I scream frequently!)

I am thankful for my family. I don't have much, most of my relatives have gone on to their final rewards, but the family I do have left is potent. Nature or nurture?  I vote for nature. Even the family I did not grow up with shares many traits in common with me. We can finish each other's sentences.

I am thankful for my husband. When I began BBI, I don't think he envisioned how many days we would spend apart. But, he handles the separations like a trooper. He takes care of the small problems of running a home while I am flying hither and yon. He has quiet faith in my abilities.

I am thankful to live in the United States. We are a great country. I am also thankful that my work allows me to share in the cultures of other countries. Each one is special: each one affords wonderful experiences for me. I cherish my clients and friends around the world. I appreciate them sharing their worlds with me.

I will recount these blessings again over pumpkin pie. I have already begun my celebrations with pumpkin bread and hot tea. My morning today began with fog and colored trees. Fall is here. Winter is close behind. Another new year looms in the near future.

I am truly blessed in my life, and I wish for you and your families a very wonderful Thanksgiving and a spectacular holiday season.