Gifts to Be Thankful For
by Karen Pickering
November is a favorite time of the year for me. I love fall in the Northwest and always dive into the upcoming holiday season with great anticipation. Tight budgets have forced all of us to be a little more creative with our gift giving so starting early is a good idea. This month we will have several ideas for you throughout the magazine; you won’t want miss a single page. Many of our readers tell us they read the magazine cover-to-cover ads and all.
Sometimes it’s hard for me to be thankful when hay and fuel prices skyrocket, there’s less free time and the shorter daylight hours dampen my mood. It’s those dark times when I stop to reflect on all the things I have to be thankful for. I start by making a list and pretty soon I’m ashamed of all the time I wasted in a bad mood. It’s easy to forget that, truly, “The best things in life are free.” Like relationships—with family, friends, and horses—and living in the most beautiful part of the country!
This is the first year I’ll be without my mom for the holidays. I’m focusing now on being thankful for all the years we spent together, like holidays, baking cookies and Sunday morning breakfast after church. I miss those times, but enjoy remembering how special she was. She helped shape who I am and I’m forever grateful for her influence on my life.
I hope to continue bringing you a great resource that will positively influence the relationship you have with your horse. Thanks for being my clients, readers and friends. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving; may you find joy this holiday season.
Warmly,
Karen Pickering
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, and confusion into clarity… It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
-–Melody Beattie
Published November 2012 Issue
Owner / Publisher | Canfield Certified Trainer
Karen Pickering is a lifelong horsewoman and the founder of The Northwest Horse Source, which began in 1995 as a small equine newsletter and grew into a respected industry publication. With more than 30 years of experience serving the horse community, Karen now focuses on helping equine businesses and organizations build visibility, credibility, and lasting relationships through online marketing, digital promotion, and educational platforms.
As a Canfield Certified Trainer, she blends proven success principles with real-world industry experience, supporting both businesses and individuals navigating change in today’s digital landscape. Karen remains deeply connected to the horse industry and is passionate about serving the community she has helped build for over three decades.
