Loose Ends: Thanks for giving

Most of the Thanksgiving meals of my childhood included the yearly ritual of going around the table and listing all the things for which we were thankful. Thanking God by saying grace was a weekly Sunday dinner requisite, but the after-dinner tradition of listening to everyone express their own personal gratitude only occurred once a year.
Years ago, a popular self-help book called “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff,” gave readers lots of tips for de-stressing their lives. It encouraged setting priorities for the things one must accomplish in a day, a month or a year. The admonition to not expend so much energy on the little things in life was basically sound but carrying it out in daily life was a problem for many because it was impossible to figure out what constituted the “little” things. It is the little things that are often more important than we think. There are so many thanks to be given for the little things that go unnoticed in this community, I have listed some of my own below:
THANKS to the clerks in Meeker businesses who sincerely ask how things are going and wait for the answer.
THANKS to all the people who pick up trash as they go about their business downtown, there seem to be enough of them that this community continues to look well-cared for.
THANKS to my newspaper editor who extends my deadline with less than 24-hours of notice.
THANKS to the old golden retriever that waits for me to walk by each day and greets me with such a wild tail-wagging welcome that you would think he was my dog.
THANKS to the two recently retired school board members, Mary Strang and Ed Coryell, who were both exceptionally dedicated to the children of this community by volunteering their time throughout the years to work with children in school and 4-H activities
THANKS to all of the drivers who show courtesy to other drivers by allowing them time to back out of a parking space.
THANKS to those responsible for getting Meeker Elementary’s Bookmobile up and running and keeping it moving from school to school.
THANKS to Books, the library cat, who makes the day of so many residents and library users.
THANKS to the Mrs. Turner’s seventh-grade language arts students, who requested that their preschool teacher resume her read-aloud sessions.
THANKS to those people who turn in all the mail that has been mistakenly put it their post office boxes.
THANKS to the fence-sitting squirrel for his daily teasing of one very old, slow dog, so that the daily dog-walking chores are not so important.
THANKS to the younger, more computer-savvy generation who not only take the time to help the technologically-challenged older folks, but are nice about it.
THANKS to the regular thank-you note writers.