“‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.” ~ Alice Walker
Don’t ask me who sang the song referenced above, or what the rest of the lyrics are. I only get headline-length snippets in my head! Anyway, thanks to you, we have met our $5,000 matching grant goal with a week to spare! I cannot thank you enough. Your donations will fund Jared coming on staff part-time while we continue looking for an advertising sales rep and new revenue streams.
As we wrap up the final edition of 2024, we set our sights on 2025 and the tasks and goals before us as a local newspaper, as members of the community, as fellow citizens, and as friends.
For my part, I want more stories this year. The more we hear one another’s stories, the more compassion and understanding we have for each other, and that’s essential in these times. We assume we know each other’s stories, based on bits and pieces of hearsay and the occasional interaction, but that’s a lot like judging a book by its movie version.
There’s a reason the word “story” is found in the word “history” — history is made up of stories, and stories set a foundation for us to move into the future. When we hear stories about the egregious mistakes made in the past we have a chance to avoid repeating them out of ignorance, and when we hear stories of courage, kindness, or great achievements, we are inspired to do better ourselves.
So, as we navigate these last days of 2024, when no one knows what day of the week it is, everyone is either on a sugar high or a sugar crash, you’re not sure who is in your house or why, and you’re just trying to get to New Year’s, think about the stories you’d like to hear this year and share those ideas with us.
I hope you all enjoyed a blessed Christmas, and found at least a little bit of the peace that comes with those “good tidings of comfort and joy.”
We’ll see you on the flip side of the calendar, HT family! Happy New Year!