This Thanksgiving, Kelly Rowland will enjoy smoked turkey on the grill, homemade pecan pie and a visit from dad.

Seven months ago, Rowland’s mom passed away from kidney cancer, making Thanksgiving the first holiday where the family has to forge new traditions while still holding onto their mother’s memory.

“I’m thankful that my dad is flying in from NC. Mom passed away in March so having him with me means so much,” Rowland tweeted last week under the name sunflowerkelly.

Over the past several days, the Lawrence Journal-World has been asking its readers and social media followers to share online what they were thankful for this year.

In the midst of a recession, Lawrence is still a place of plenty. There were family and friends, jobs, good food and, of course, Kansas University sports.

Rowland is among the grateful.

“I think this year more than any other year, I truly understand what it means to be thankful for my family and making the most out of the time that we have here,” Rowland said.

Felicia Goodison, a student at Pittsburg State University, also posted her gratitude on Twitter under the hashtag #thankfullawrence.

This year, Goodison quit her job, packed up her belongings and made the tough choice to live apart from her husband so she could return to school.

Her husband supported the decision, her dad helped with the drive from Arizona to Kansas and her in-laws gave her a car to use.

Last Friday, Goodison summed up her appreciation in fewer than 140 characters.

“I am thankful that I have a supportive, loving family that encouraged me to go back to school, and I’ll be done in a month!” she posted on Twitter.

Here are some of our other favorites (some are condensed):

On Twitter

• Counting my blessings: family, friends, food, a home. Tough times are bringing my family closer together. But end soon! — lraukeene

• I am thankful for my new baby girl Emma Caroline born October 25th. — rscottwagner

• I’m thankful my bestfriend and mother of two survived a horrible illness this year. — Jmejumps

• I’m thankful for good friends, amazing family, a roof over my head and for my long awaited adopted cousin, Jade. — into_the_beams

• I’m thankful for healthy grandchildren and a family that laughs … a lot! — berehmer

• I’m thankful that the Jayhawks scored a touchdown before 2011. — andrewckong

• I’m thankful for my kids who teach me to be a better person every day. — mlbaran

On LJWorld.com

• I am thankful that in this great country, we still have free speech! — sierraclub

• I am thankful for great friends and family who are helping me get through these tough times! — dbrm4ever2006 (Bobbi Reid)

• I’m thankful I got a new job after being let go from my last one this summer. The location is great, it’s exactly the kind of job I was looking for, and it pays more than I could have hoped for. So I can finally pay off my debt and I’ll have money to visit my family, too. — booyalab

• I’m thankful all my kids are home for the holiday! — shorttrees

• I’m thankful for a friend who put up with me being a drama queen, when she had plenty of drama in her own life, which I didn’t find out about until later. — Romans832

For people who haven’t posted what they are thankful for, there is still time. The LJWorld.com will keep its #thankfullawrence Twitter feed on its home page through today.