A Word From The Publisher

Active Thankfulness

This Thanksgiving, let's be thankful for all of the blessings that have been bestowed upon us, but let's do it in an active way, rather than passively. Sure, it's tempting to fall into a post-turkey serotonin induced stupor, but there's more to thankfullness than a few words before the meal is served.

Let's be thankful that we are fortunate to have such a beautiful community, but at the same time let's find ways to ensure its continued beauty by volunteering our time and money to help maintain it. Find a group who is working on a project you care about and offer your services.

Let's be thankful for our families, but put effort into maintaining and repairing relationships that may have faltered. Call a relative with whom you have had a rocky relationship, just to say hello.

Let's be thankful for our children, but think about how to best parent them to help them grow into responsible adults. (See the letter next to this column for an example of how tough it is to do a good job as a parent.)

Let's be thankful for our freedoms as a nation, and consider what we can do to help maintain them, whether it is supporting the armed forces, or writing letters to the editor of newspapers to express our opinions.

Let's be thankful for our material possessions by thinking about how much effort and technology has gone into creating them. Even something as simple as a paperclip is made from metal that has been mined from the earth and shaped by people. Something as big and complex as an automobile is almost a miracle, and yet most adults own one, and take it for granted.

Let's stop and appreciate what we have.

Meg Morgan Norris

Publisher