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"I&amp;#039;m grateful for my children, who are slowly emerging to become their own wonderful, interesting, compassionate young adults \u2014 which makes me believe that along the way I must have done something right.   \u2014 Jodi Picoult author of House Rules My library card. Every hurdle I&amp;#039;ve faced, I have researched my way over at a library. I&amp;#039;m grateful for that part of the American spirit that believes every citizen should have access to books.  \u2014 Sarah Bird author of How Perfect Is That  True love and good health are related in that we don&amp;#039;t seem to appreciate them till they are gone. I try not to take either for granted.  \u2014 Abraham Verghese, M.D.author of Cutting for Stone I&amp;#039;m truly grateful for my microwave, which allows me to easily clarify butter, steam vegetables, and \u2014 when I am really lazy \u2014 feed my three kids in less than five minutes.  \u2014 Sara Gruen author of Water for Elephants and Ape House When I was adopted, I went to the home of Jerry and Junie Chenoweth. I feel like I won the lottery in the family department. Not a day goes by that I&amp;#039;m not grateful thatI was placed with the right family. I believe God had a big part in that. Also, I do have long legs, which I am thankful for because I&amp;#039;m only 4&amp;#039;11&amp;quot;.  \u2014 Kristin Chenoweth Emmy and Tony Award \u2014 winning actress, currently appearing in Promises, Promises Little treats. My daily Nespresso coffee, an unexpected shaft of sunlight through the window on a winter&amp;#039;s day, my bargain Missoni sunglasses (70 percent off!).   \u2014 Sophie Kinsella author of Mini Shopaholic  This may sound disingenuous, but I&amp;#039;m truly glad for adversity. Because it, more than anything, can shape you into what you want to be, and do work you&amp;#039;d otherwise put off doing. For example, after my divorce, I saw that many problems I&amp;#039;d blamed on my spouse were really problems in myself. And painful though it was, divorce led me to taking the first steps toward real self-knowledge and personal responsibility.   \u2014 Elizabeth Berg author of The Last Time I Saw You I am grateful for all the military families that I&amp;#039;ve met. I wanted to spread hope and cheer to all; little did I know that they would be the ones to change my life the way they have! \u2014 Wynonna Judd singer and actress  After experiencing my husband&amp;#039;s and my sister&amp;#039;s deaths, every day that my family is healthy, I am grateful. To not be sick with worry is a real gift.  \u2014 Katie Couric anchor and managing editor, CBS Evening News I&amp;#039;m grateful to have married a man who can&amp;#039;t abide a dirty kitchen. Because I hate mess marginally less than he does, I&amp;#039;m almost never the one who has to clean up!  \u2014 Ayelet Waldman  author of Red Hook Road Every chair at the kitchen table occupied, candles lit, hands held for a brief moment of grace before dinner. Now that my children are grown and away from home much of the time, a simple family meal feels fleeting, precious, worthy of thanksgiving.  \u2014 Katrina Kenison  author of The Gift of an Ordinary Day There was a time when I was in a state of utter despair, immersed in guilt over promises made on which I had not delivered. I went to my vocal coach, Fred Wilkerson, weeping copiously. He asked what was the matter. I responded, &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m going crazy. I am almost at the brink of suicide.&amp;quot; He offered me a legal-size, lined yellow pad and a pen. He said, &amp;quot;Write down your blessings!&amp;quot; Furious that he didn&amp;#039;t understand my condition, I shouted, &amp;quot;Don&amp;#039;t talk nonsense, I&amp;#039;m telling you I am going crazy.&amp;quot; He said, &amp;quot;Write down that you could hear me say &amp;#039;write down&amp;#039; and think of the millions who cannot hear the cries of their babies, or the sweet words of their beloveds, or the alarm that could help them seek safety. Write down that you can see this yellow pad and think of the millions on this planet who cannot see the smiles of their growing children or the delight in the faces of their beloveds, or the colors of the sunrise and the softness of the twilight. Write down that you know how to write. Write down that you know how to read.&amp;quot; Wilkie, as he was known, gave me that lesson in 1955. Fifty-five years later, I have written 31 books, essays, plays, and lyrics for songs \u2014 all on yellow pads. I remain in an attitude of gratitude.   \u2014 Maya Angelou performer, poet, and author of Great Food, All Day Long I&amp;#039;m grateful for my brother, Louis, who always told me the truth about boys. Also: I can still get on the scale every morning and see the numbers and my toes!   \u2014 Heloise Good Housekeeping cleaning guru I am grateful for what I call well-spent moments: Making a tuna fish sandwich with the works. Taking at least a half hour to eat it outside. Ironing my vintage tea towels while watching old black-and-white film noir movies and sipping one martini with extra olives \u2014 a quirky combination, but it works.   \u2014 Sarah Ban Breathnach author of Peace and Plenty: Finding Your Path to Financial Serenity, out this month Perspective. As much as I sometimes rue the mounting physical evidence of being around for 40-something years, it&amp;#039;s a fair trade for the gift of knowing what matters. Related: Spanx, and an affordable colorist.   \u2014 Kyran Pittman author of Planting Dandelions: Field Notes From a Semi-Domesticated Life, to be published this summer I am every day grateful for the gift of life, and for the uncountable charms and promise of Creation. I glimpse eternity in the coral sky of a dawn drenched in silence, in the mystical eyes of my golden retriever, in my wife&amp;#039;s lovely hands as she prepares vegetables for dinner, in the diamonded night sky, and in every humble thing.   \u2014 Dean Koontz author of What the Night Knows  I am so grateful for after-school snack time, when I light a candle, pour some tea, slice some apples, and get to listen in on my kids&amp;#039; highs and lows of the day.  \u2014 Laurie David producer of An Inconvenient Truth and author of The Family Dinner   I am grateful to sit down to dinner with Deborah [Roberts, my wife] and the kids. It&amp;#039;s that connective tissue.... &amp;quot;What did you do that was fun today?&amp;quot; Occasionally one of the kids will even say, &amp;quot;Daddy, how was your day?&amp;quot;   \u2014 Al Roker TV broadcaster and author Nancy Drew, who made it possible to envision a life beyond fifth grade. She is directly responsible for pointing the way to the career I love so much today.   \u2014 Jayne Ann Krentz author of In Too Deep and other romantic suspense novels I&amp;#039;m grateful for my whole family, but my dad is like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Superman, and Evel Knievel all at one time. I can think I have it all figured out, and he&amp;#039;ll say, &amp;quot;But did you look at that side of it?&amp;quot; He shows me just how much more there is than what appears to be.  \u2014 Guy Fieri TV host, chef, and author I&amp;#039;m thankful for the freedom to worship as we choose in this country.   \u2014 Joel Osteen pastor and author of The Christmas Spirit, just published I&amp;#039;m grateful to the genius who invented root touch-up. I can stretch a dye job an additional three weeks!  \u2014 Adriana Trigiani author of Don&amp;#039;t Sing at the Table: Life Lessons from My Grandmothers Audiobooks. I listen to them while taking my daily walk: Being read to is at once a treat reminiscent of childhood and a privilege that transports me into literature through a whole different portal from the printed page.   \u2014 Aimee Liu author of Gaining and Cloud Mountain  Every day after lunch when I was writing my first book, I&amp;#039;d nibble a square of fine chocolate and meditate on all that had gone into its creation: the sun and rain that spilled on the cocoa plant, the soil that nourished it, the hands that picked the beans, and so on. My taste of chocolate became a lesson on the interconnectedness of things, and the infinite blessings for which I am grateful.   \u2014 Laura Hillenbrand author of Seabiscuit and Unbroken I am so grateful that I have one last year of my little girl believing in Santa Claus.  \u2014 Kathryn Stockett  author of The Help I am extremely grateful for two big gifts from my father. First, my sense of humor \u2014 the ability to see the humor in something while it is happening. That has cushioned my life. I am also grateful for the work of St. Jude Children&amp;#039;s Research Hospital. It has enriched my life and made me a very different person.  \u2014 Marlo Thomas actress, author, and activist Anyone who has been through dark times knows there are moments when you can&amp;#039;t think what, exactly, there is to be thankful for \u2014 you simply can&amp;#039;t feel, in the depths of your heart, grateful. When those moments pass \u2014 and when I look around, and feel that profound, heart-stopping gratitude for all that is right and beautiful in the world \u2014 well, I&amp;#039;m grateful for gratitude.   \u2014 Dominique Browning author of Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put On My Pajamas &amp;amp;amp; Found Happiness  LET US BE THANKFUL  That we have something to be thankful for. That pumpkin pies are once more in fashion. That turkey is cheap enough for the poor man&amp;#039;s table. That the cranberry crop wasn&amp;#039;t ruined by the frosts. That the country is still quite safe in spite of the politicians.  \u2014 Good Housekeeping, November 1888  GH EDITORS... ...salute the joys of these simple pleasures:  McDreamy, McSteamy, and \u2014 occasionally \u2014 McNuggets Friending long-lost gal pals you&amp;#039;ve found on Facebook  Self-tanners that don&amp;#039;t streak, smell, or stain your clothes  A Sudoku book stashed in your purse when you&amp;#039;re waiting \u2014 and waiting \u2014 at the doctor&amp;#039;s office  Looking through those old cards and letters your grandparents sent you Realizing your purchase qualifies for free next-day shipping  Every Audrey Hepburn movie. But especially Sabrina&amp;#039;s train station scene, after she&amp;#039;s returned from Paris with a chic suit, a gamine haircut, and a toy poodle atop her stack of luggage  Chasing fireflies with the kids The mammogram being all clear  That he remembered your wedding anniversary and that you love yellow roses  The nice person ahead of you in line at the supermarket who sees you are just buying milk and says, &amp;quot;Go ahead of me&amp;quot; The first snowfall of the year, every year n  GH READERS LIKE YOU ARE GRATEFUL FOR... ...my freedom! I just listened to a story of life in the Congo...heartbreaking, and I couldn&amp;#039;t imagine! \u2014 Brooke O&amp;#039;Kelly  ...my husband having a very secure and wonderful job. \u2014 Kristine Franzese Carbone ...the soldiers that fight for our liberty. \u2014 Heather Starr Johnson-Shanahan ...my family and my faith, both of which are what keep me going every day. \u2014 Audrey Marie Sheppard Readers, what are you most grateful for? 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