3 (well,5 actually) of the Most Kindhearted People in my Life...and Poetry Friday!

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Howdy, Campers!

Happy Almost-Thanksgiving and Happy Poetry Friday (original poem and link to Poetry Friday below)

To enter our latest giveaway, a copy of 2015 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market (CWIM), check out Carmela's post.

I'm the third TeachingAuthor to chime in on our annual Three Weeks of Thanks-Giving--woo woo!

Carmela thanked three times three, topping it off with an original Thanku Haiku, Mary Ann succinctly thanked three writing-related groups and I'd like to thank...

Oh, geez, gang.  Our host for Poetry Friday, Keri, just lost her grandfather.

It all comes down to love, doesn't it?

Not good looks. (When you're young your skin looks, well, young.  When you're old it doesn't.)

Not rushing around. ("Is there anything that you regret", I asked my nearly-92-year-old mother, recently. "Rushing," she said.)

Just goodness.

Here are the people I'm grateful for this very minute (how can one edit it down to just three?!?):

1. (Our rule is if your spouse doesn't get thanked in your Academy Awards speech, you're a failure and a rat and you have to sleep on the couch) so here's to my husband, Gary Wayland, who accompanies me deep into the jungles of my darkest thoughts, who supports my career both emotionally and financially, and who always, always, always has my back;
                                                                     .
2. My sister, Lyra Halprin, who ministers to her family and friends with nourishing, sustainable, delicious food, who walks precincts, posts on online, writes press releases and makes phone calls to educate and motivate friends and followers politically, and who raises piles of money for JDRF to eradicate type one diabetes;
   
3. and my friends--"folksinger and songfighter" Ross Altman, who landed like an angel on our front step today, and walked twice around the block with me, listening as I poured out my troubles; Elizabeth Howland Forrest, who will move heaven and earth to help anyone anytime, anywhere; author and SCBWI's regional events editor Rebecca Gold, who moved all the way across the country (how dare she?) but still wraps her long arm around me when I need her most--and I needed her this morning...and author Bruce Balan (all the way over in Thailand, for heaven's sake!) who immediately offered to jump on a plane and be by my side when my husband was ill.

So many.  And so many more, of course.

(If you look at the title of this post you'll notice
that math is not my strong suit.)

I'll bet you thought I was going to write a Thanku for one of the people I listed above, right? Surprise!

Here's my Thanku:

For the way you play

those black and whites; for the way

you brush my hair, Mom.

Don't forget to enter to win a copy of Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market, check out Carmela's post. Good luck!

Poetry Friday's at Kerry's this week.  Thank you for hosting, Keri!  And Happy Thanksgiving to All!

With an open heart,
April Halprin Wayland, who deeply appreciates you reading all the way to the bottom.

Poem and photo (c) 2014 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved.