By Dixon Bledsoe
I am thankful for autumn leaves. Not so much to rake them but in the beauty and serenity they provide us. Leaves are a little bit like relationships – they can bring us smiles and are there with dazzling colors when the days shorten, rains return and temperatures drop. But they take work. Take care of your leaves and relationships this season.
What a blessing it was to have known Carolyn Roth, who passed away Nov. 6. I am thankful to have witnessed firsthand her genuine love for and loyalty to the Lord and to her family and friends, and her expressions of those from her huge heart. It couldn’t have been easy to make so many events to see kids and grandkids participate, not when the pain was ever present. It would have been easier to sit in a comfortable chair and live the game vicariously through those who took it in. What a testimonial to her spirit and love that in her last few days, surrounded by those who loved her deeply, she was trying to figure out how to make one more basketball game. What a wonderful woman Carolyn Roth was and how surely she will be missed by Jerry, the Roths, and those blessed enough to have known her.
I am thankful for being able to get most things I need right here in Silverton. My trips to Salem are fewer and farther between because of the courage of those who choose to run businesses in a small town. A new auto parts company is coming to town. Some people will be excited because competition is the American way and may mean lower prices. But I am reminded every year just how much NAPA, and Eric and Norma Stroup, do in and for this town. “Shop locally” is a nice phrase. Shopping locally is walking the walk. Help our businesses this holiday season. Let’s take care of the local business owners who coach our kids in Little League; are borderline diabetics but still buy 10 boxes of Girl Scout cookies; who serve in a thankless job on City Council; donate turkeys to the food bank, and work in an Oktoberfest booth. When we ask for donations from business owners to support our causes, let’s remember to support their businesses.
Nicole Brown and Sarah Petrocelli of Silver Falls Eyecare are already into the “giving” mode. The two opticians are providing residents of Mount Angel Towers with free on-site eye glasses adjustments once a month. As a community service, Sarah and Nicole travel to the Towers on the third Tuesday morning of each month from 11 a.m to noon. A sign-up sheet is at the front desk, or residents are welcome to just find the professionals by the cafeteria. Questions may be directed to the clinic at 503-873-8619. Now that is service!
It is a wonderful tradition to be able to pick out and cut our own Christmas tree. I truly understand why some people choose to put up an artificial tree. But the joy of picking out just the right Nordman, Doug Fir or Noble is so much fun, especially when there is hot chocolate, a smiling farmer, the joyful sounds of kids laughing, crisp weather with a hint of snow, seasonal music, and knowing we are supporting a local farmer. We are free to make choices. Mine is to have a fresh tree, being annoyed when no one in my family agrees with my “perfect” tree since they are obviously wrong, and being outside in a forest of heavenly scents. I am thankful for our local Christmas tree farmers for making the holidays special.
I am thankful for the stores that refuse to open on Thanksgiving. There is a reason we give thanks, why it is a family day and not the day to see a blockbuster movie or buy the 50 foot HD TV on sale for $199 to the first eight people in line. Maybe watching a ball game with a grandpa enjoying his last Thanksgiving (who knows, really?) or sharing hot cider with an estranged parent trying to reconcile is time better spent than being at an electronics store for 10 hours just to save $100. Let’s get back to shopping frantically on Black Friday and leave Thanksgiving alone to be what it was meant to be. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
