Patricia Sands

Author

General Travel

by

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving

October 13,2025 

We have enjoyed a beautiful autumn long weekend in Canada. Just the kind of weather we hope for as we celebrate this special holiday.

I returned a week ago from five weeks in France with my close friend, Deborah Bine aka Barefootblogger_France. Our trip was planned for a variety of reasons but one thing that stood out to us was that every single day at one point or another we voiced how grateful we were to be there visiting places we love and write about, spending time with friends (and each other!) and meeting up with authors we previously had only known online, and many more reasons to numerous to mention. It truly was all about gratitude.

I hope you won’t mind if I post a similar message here to past years. It’s the message I want to share at this time every year … every day, really …

I know we all find it hard to be giving thanks when so many people just like us are faced with war, famine and shocking events of Nature beyond anyone’s control. I understand that we have to look at the blessings in our lives and try to do whatever we can to help others. Donating to the Red Cross International is just one of many organizations at the forefront of assisting around the world.

Take a few minutes to make a list of the blessings in your life … or scroll through your photos for some reminders. May your heart be warmed.

IMG_7305

Thanksgiving. No shopping for anything but dinner ingredients. No lists of gifts. Bags of food being filled for the Food Banks. Volunteers serving turkey dinners at homeless shelters. Quality time spent as families and friends gather to share memories, love and laughter. An attitude of gratitude prevails. I am so thankful for the life I have. I hope you feel the same about yours.

As we consider our individual blessings, let’s remember those who struggle with hunger, illness, poverty, war and a multitude of other challenges in our own backyards and around the globe. The refugee crisis is heartbreaking. The recent storms in the USA have left so many lives in turmoil. Let’s try to make the sentiments of Thanksgiving a part of every single day.

What a good feeling to see the food donation bins overflowing today. If you can’t get out to help, here’s a way you can play a part without leaving home! Click right here.

logo-main

I’ve written about these sites before, but they are always worth mentioning from time to time.  All you have to do is go to TheHungerSite.com  once a day and click on the button — sponsors give free food. You are not put on any list or bombarded with spam. There are other links to click where sponsors donate for appropriate benefits: Breast Cancer ~ remember it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month; Child Health; Literacy; Rainforest; Animal Rescue and a few others. All of this has been verified as legit by Snopes years ago. I pop in every day. Why not?

1.IMG_2976

While we are at it, have you ever played FREERICE.COM? ~ This is a unique way to increase your vocabulary and donate rice to needy countries. Play it with your children as there are 60 levels. It’s a great place to learn new words for Words With Friends … ahem, my addiction when I need a few minutes off from writing. It’s such a fun way to keep connected with friends too.

One big personal thank you to the readers who take the time to contact me. I love hearing from you and am grateful for every single message. Thanks for subscribing to my newsletter (just click on the link in the column to the right) and for sharing my books with your friends. You light up my life! I’m excited … and thankful … to share more with you about my new book releasing in November, but I’ll save that for the next post.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Filed Under: Blog, Social issues, UncategorizedTagged With: Canada, Canadian Thanksgiving, donate, family, food, help others, Patricia Sands, Thanksgiving

https://patriciasandsauthor.com/2025/10/14021/

BookTrib ~ you need to subscribe!

by

Readers and writers have a home at BookTrib.com and I cannot recommend this website more highly. Read on.

“BookTrib.com was created as a news source for people who love books, want to find out what’s happening in the book world and love learning about great authors of whom they may not have heard.
BookTrib.com brings discerning readers and rising authors closer together — and in a big way, with more than 95,000 unique monthly website visitors and more than 225,000 followers on social media.”

I was thrilled this week to have the following article published on their website along with many others I know you would find interesting and informative. Do yourself a favour and join the growing list of happy subscribers.

Happy reading, everyone!

Book Locales That Draw You In and Make You Feel at Home

Celebrating Easter, Passover and Spring in general

by

April 20, 2025 by Patricia Sands (Edit)

Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy Spring!

Joyeuses Pâques, Joyeux Pesach, Joyeux Printemps!

Whatever joyous occasion you celebrate at this special time of year, may it bring family and friends together for reflection, fellowship, food … and chocolate. Let’s count our blessings and focus on how we can help those who cannot.

In France, the traditions around Easter are quite different than most countries. Here’s an excellent article from The Good Life France (my favourite website, as you all must know by now). It is written by my friend, Margo Lestz, who will give you all the history. It begins like this … “On the Thursday night before Easter, all the church bells go silent and they won’t be heard from again until Easter Sunday.” Click here to read more.

With the tragic fire that occurred five years ago at the beloved Notre Dame in Paris, thoughts will also be centred on once again celebrating Easter this weekend and hearing the bells ring out in the newly rebuilt cathedral. Whether for religious reasons or for the tremendous historical symbol it represents, people around the world are rejoicing at the amazing efforts by all involved in the restoration work. Response has been heartwarming and unifying, from the greatest to the smallest level. The heroes of that day are les pompiers, the men and women firefighters who worked tirelessly to contain the flames and those who helped save the priceless art. Click here to see an excellent video about the restoration.

This was the last photo I took of Notre Dame when I was in Paris in 2019. I will be there again this September and cannot wait to visit once again. I’ll send you a new photo and hope you will go with me in spirit!

I trust you are enjoying warm spring weather and good fellowship with friends and family at this special time of year.

From the window where I write, I can see the ski hills of Blue Mountain Resort. Amazingly, there are still two runs open leading into the village and the lifts will close tomorrow. It has been an amazing season with the best snow in years.

By the way, The Bridge Club is on sale this month … pick up a copy of the ebook for a friend if you already have yours! Just click here, it’s easy!

Bon weekend everyone!

Happy May Day

by

Happy May Day!

En France ~ Bonne fête du muguet! Bonne fête du travail! Bon premier Mai! Happy Labor Day! Happy first of May!

In many countries around the world, the first of May is a celebrated Labor Day. In France there’s a special twist to the holiday that I love.
I recycle this post every year because I don’t want to change anything about it. If you read it last year … or the year before , I hope you enjoy it again. And if you can find some Lily of the Valley to give to a friend, all the better.

En mai, fais ce qu’il te plait!

Provençal proverb ~ In May, do what pleases you!


Here’s my May 1st muguet to each of you.

Every May 1st I like to share one of my favourite traditions in France ~ La Fête du Travail or La Fête du Muguet. The day is a national holiday ~ International Workers’ Day, like Labour Day in North America. But more than that it is an occasion when people give little bouquets or sprigs or pots of le muguet (lily of the valley) to each other. Like so many of the things we love about France, the tradition has lasted for centuries. It began in 1561, during the Renaissance.

Click here to read an excellent article by Margo Lestz, about this sweet tradition and all the history behind it.

Here’s another post about the tradition from Kristin Espinasse, everyone’s favourite scribe of daily French life.

A few years ago, my husband and I had just finished a magical stay (but then isn’t it always?) in Paris and the Loire Valley. We were driving south to the Dordogne region on May 1st and in every town, big or small, this was the scene. Even on a drizzly day. I loved it!


Obviously, young or old, everyone puts a lot of thought into this tradition.

A vivid memory of that rainy morning, is of an elderly woman sitting under an umbrella beside her small stand of bouquets of muguets. It wasn’t an appropriate picture to take … and no time to stop in the midst of traffic … but I’ve never forgotten the image. Does this happen to you sometimes when you travel? Your eye is the shutter and a particular image is captured forever in your memory?

Le muguet or lily of the valley represents a porte-bonheur, a good luck charm, to special people in your life. I am offering one to each of you.

Does your culture or country have a special May 1st tradtion?

I’m happy to report our 2024 South of France Memories Tour is almost sold out! Click on that link for all the details. If you have been thinking about joining us, now is your last chance. I will not be doing this tour in 2025. After ten wonderful years, it’s time for a break. Thanks to all of the many women from all over the world who have joined us in the past. I remember each one of you when I look back over the fabulous photos and am so thankful for the time we spent together.