Realtor Patti Mauseth of Alain Pinel Realtors in Los Gatos is thankful that she can spend more time with her busy Realtor husband, Ken Roberts. An ex-nurse who left that profession to become a Realtor, Mauseth feels very fortunate that she has been presented with opportunities to nurture, educate and improve her clients' lives.

"We most recently helped an 82-year-old widow filter through her lifelong belongings, clean and repair her home, which we were able to sell with 33 offers. I am thankful to have these moments in my life. As the song by gospel singer Heather Small says, 'What have you done today to make you feel proud?' "

Judy Hamilton, a mortgage planner with Bankers Network, is thankful for many things, with family and friends at the top of the list.

"Being a mortgage broker can get stressful and demanding at best. My husband and daughter are always there for me. They make me laugh when I need a good chuckle and feed me when I forget to take time to eat. My friends, which include many Realtors and clients, treat me with the same respect and trust that I treat them. I am a very lucky lady."

Hamilton said she thinks about all the people who have had tough times during the year. She participates in Operation Reindeer, a Realtor-sponsored event during the holiday season, by buying gifts for families that are less fortunate.

"This has been a super year for me and I have taken some of my earnings and given whenever called upon for the different sad events that happened this year," Hamilton said.

Dennis Byron of Byron and Associates in Los Gatos is thankful that he lives in the Bay Area, which he calls the most beautiful area of the world with the best weather. He is also thankful for his wife of 35 years and for the many friends he has in the industry.

"We can be thankful for the market. Many people have and will retire off of their investment in their house," Byron said.

Mary Prochnow of Mary Prochnow Realtors in Los Altos thinks Realtors should be thankful for the freedom and flexibility the profession offers.

"I'm grateful that we have the chance to work with some of the most interesting clients in the world who are for the most part extremely well-educated, fun and challenging. I'm grateful that we live in an area of great weather, great universities, world class shopping, food, cultural and educational opportunities and the area does the lion's share of our marketing for us!" Prochnow said.

In addition to being thankful for family and friends, Dan Turkus of Turkus Real Estate will give thanks for good health and the ability to generously contribute to the many needy in the community, including supporting the arts, museums, libraries, humane society and others.

"I'm also thankful for the abundance of our valley, the high quality of people we associate with daily, Realtors, lenders and clients. I am also personally thankful for our superior weather and beautiful verdant location," Turkus said. "I'm thankful for another day above ground, a great glass of wine, my dog bringing the paper, no local riots like in France. You name it and I'm thankful for it."

Realtor Susan Tilling of Coldwell Banker in Menlo Park is thankful for family, friends and health. "I am thankful for clients who have become friends and for those clients who actually appreciate the thorough work I do for them," Tilling said.

She also appreciates the excellent staff and legislative analysts at the Silicon Valley, California and National Associations of Realtors who help fight for property rights on behalf of all property owners.

Jimmy Kang, a senior home mortgage consultant with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in Palo Alto, feels thankful and blessed during the Thanksgiving season for several reasons.

"I am thankful for the experience of life, as witnessed by the renewed life of my bone marrow donor recipient. He is now fully recovered, graduated with a masters in architecture and now works in Philadelphia. He got to see his sister married and was here to see her give birth to her daughter. He has a full life ahead of him," Kang said.

Thanksgiving will be a special holiday for Kang and his wife, who adopted a daughter last June. "She has shown us the blessings of unconditional love. Every day is a new day of learning, loving and fun. We are thankful for her as she is the light in our path of life."

Realtor Toby Vanderbeek of Intero Real Estate in Los Altos is thankful that a great Thanksgiving program has been revived that was started by the late Realtor Art Scott.

"After his passing almost three years ago, this program, called Art Scott's Build A Box, was almost forgotten. His wife, Eva, also a Realtor, restored the program this year," Vanderbeek said.

The program provides Thanksgiving dinners to needy families that are identified by local charities. Volunteers deliver a box with a turkey, stuffing mix, cranberry sauce, vegetables, potatoes, dinner rolls and pumpkin pie the Monday before Thanksgiving.

The dinners are provided through tax-deductible donations from individuals and companies, with $30 buying a dinner for an average family. The program is coordinated through the Coldwell Banker real estate office at 221 Los Gatos Saratoga Road in Los Gatos.

"Thanks to this program, families who might not have been able to celebrate Thanksgiving will get a special dinner this year," Vanderbeek said.