THIS WEEK IS A TIME when we all pause for a time of thanks for all that we have; and also to reflect on the year behind us that is so quickly passing away. The Thanksgiving holiday is a special one to many people; but it is also unique in that each year our reasons for giving thanks change.
The Fourth of July is always a celebration of our independence; and other holidays like Christmas and Easter and Veterans Day all give us a chance to focus on the reason for those remembrances.
But what a person is thankful for on one particular Thanksgiving may be totally different from their time of thanks the year before. Likewise, a year from now those things that seem so important today may be but a distant memory.
As I look back over the past year, several things come to mind when I consider what I am thankful for. I would never have imagined the things that have affected my family since we last came together; but all of those things came together to form what is special about our family.
Thanksgiving is a special time for my wife and her family. On Thanksgiving Day family members from all over the country will gather together to spend the day eating and visiting and just enjoying the company.
But this Thanksgiving will be saddened by the unexpected loss of my wife’s grandmother about eight weeks ago; but although there will be a huge hole and a deep sense of loss throughout the day; family members will still be thankful that they continue to have the opportunity to come together as a family.
For me, Thanksgiving is a time when I realize that the farm my grandparents tended and cultivated for over 65 years now has another family living in the house. The fields and barns that are so common to me are now cared for by others; and a big part of my life has moved into memory.
But as I am saddened by those events, there is a family who is celebrating their first Thanksgiving in their new home; and they are looking forward at a limitless future.
But although memories are both happy and sad ones as we all move to Thanksgiving Day, 2005; I do think it is important to let each and everyone of you know the biggest blessing that I have this holiday season.
I feel that it is a privilege and an honor to provide you with local news and events each and every week. Our community is a wonderful one in which to live, and simply being a part of this community of people has blessed me for more than 20 years.
This isn’t an easy job. Sometimes people get angry and sometimes people’s feelings get hurt; and that bothers me because they are friends and acquaintances on a personal level. Most of the time when I type a name, I see a face in my mind that corresponds to that name. Whether you know it or not, this is a newspaper that works hard to not only report about the community — but also to be a part of the community in which we work.
Thank you for the opportunity that you give this newspaper to come into your homes and your businesses and your lives on a weekly basis. This is truly the most special and wonderful place on earth, and I feel blessed to be a part of it.
And for that I am thankful.