Thankful can be defined as being grateful, pleased and appreciative of the good things of life.

Thankful can be something small in the scale of life: a good grade, or a perfect gift. It can be something huge: successful treatment for a serious disease, a loving spouse, a supportive community.

People easily identify the bad things of life, everything from annoyances to serious hindrances to life-threatening conditions. Some people, on the other hand, are blessed to find the silver lining in the dark clouds that surround them.

What makes you thankful? As Thanksgiving nears, it is appropriate to focus on the good things of life, and the Gazette-Journal invites you to tell us about them.

Our annual collection of readers’ thoughts on the question, “What makes you thankful,” will be published on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, just two weeks away.

Submit your letters of thanks to us by noon on Monday, Nov. 23 either to our offices—6625 Main Street in Gloucester or 28 Court Street ...