As I always say here, this is the place to keep track of the good things that are often overshadowed by the difficult. And this week was certainly difficult. We had a very sudden and unexpected death in my family. When someone goes young and without warning, it grabs you by the nape of the neck and shakes you out of your complacency. If ever there was a time to think about your blessings and how you’re going to pursue them, it’s right now because you never know when you’ll run out of tomorrows.

So knowing that, this week…

I was introduced to a charity doing incredible work with girls who have been sold into brothels primarily in Southeast Asia. As a human and a feminist this touches me deeply. If you, too, would like to learn more about their work and the amazing woman who started the Somaly Mam Foundation, click here.

I learned I’ll be featured in the March/April issue of Writers Digest. I started reading that magazine as I high schooler who dreamed some day of being a grown-up novelist. It’s quite a full-circle moment for me.

Afternoon beers with a motley crew of fellow novelists for no other reason than to talk shop and support one another.

My first lunch with my best pal after his hospitalization.

Sunday afternoon in a cafe with a Murakami novel and nowhere I had to be.

Now it’s your turn. What have your blessings been this week, and – maybe more importantly – how are you grabbing new ones today?