It’s Here!

My favorite time of year! There are several reasons for that—the weather is cooler, the holidays are on their way, and that means family is on the way, too. As I get older, I find that my “rememberer” works less and less on day-to-day things…but, every once in a while, it sends me special memories from long ago. As I’ve talked with our readers, I’ve found this to be almost universally true.

When I was young and my mom took me shopping after Halloween, I knew we would see decorations and preparations for Thanksgiving. You didn’t see Christmas decorations and gift ideas out until AFTER Thanksgiving – (for those younger readers, that’s how Black Friday came to be such a big deal)!

In a lot of ways, I miss that. I understand that some retailers make the bulk of their annual sales these last two months of the year; however, I miss that, we seem to just “skip over” Thanksgiving. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mind starting Christmas early…let’s just remember why we have Thanksgiving. Our founding fathers thought it a good thing to stop and BE THANKFUL.

I am so thankful. Thankful for childhood memories of huge Thanksgiving celebrations with my Dad’s family that always included lots of gospel singing and my Mammaw’s date loaf. Thankful that I knew all four of my grandparents, and even more thankful that I know where all of them are today. I’m thankful that God saw fit to have me raised by Lanier and Betty Stevens… if you know them, you know it doesn’t get better. Thankful to have been the only girl in a house with three brothers–THEY had to share a bathroom! Thankful that I’m married to my best friend and that together we have two amazing teenagers. I’m thankful for in-laws. I have the best. And I’m thankful for anticipation…for the joy I feel at the thought of our family being together during the holidays. My sweet mother has probably already started baking banana nut cakes and putting them in the freezer! But most of all at this time of year, I’m thankful for the founding fathers of this great nation and for those who have fought and died for the freedoms we enjoy as a country. May God give us all the wisdom to never take those for granted.

As I look through the pages of this magazine, I realize there’s even more to give thanks for this year. Last Thanksgiving, this magazine wasn’t even on our radar; because you have embraced it (and us), we stand in awe. To our readers, our writers, our designers and photographers, and especially our advertisers (who make it all possible) – THANK YOU!
Remember—stop to be thankful and enjoy your Thanksgiving. Take a moment to thank our advertisers for making Postcards possible, and allow them to thank YOU for shopping with them!

Until next time…thankfully ~ Karen