Thankful For …

TIME TO TAKE STOCK OF OUR BLESSINGS

This is perhaps the best week of the year to stop, take a deep breath, and reflect — taking stock of all our many Blessings.

There is a lot we should all be thankful for in 2013 and with 2014 hiding, just around the corner, it should be more important than perhaps ever to be thankful.

First, let’s all be thankful for good health.

If you have good health, you simply do not value your good health enough.

If you don’t have good health ( or if you know someone that is ill, suffering or in declining health) there is little one can do to restore that person to a healthy state.

Seldom is there a medical procedure, an insurance policy, or a public policy that can do that. We need to be thankful that others, among us, doctors, nurses and others who work hard and truly want all of our citizens live healthier lives.

We need to be thankful to be living in the United States of America. Where else on this planet would you have as many freedoms, including the right to complain, not only verbally, but in the written word, to criticize this great nation of ours, without threat of retribution or being jailed?

We need to be thankful to be living in Arkansas.

I always find it interesting to discover people who really don’t want to be living here. The roads are always open to other states. In fact, I find it more times than not, the exact opposite. More and more people are thankful to be moving to Northwest Arkansas every day.

We should be thankful for the natural beauty that surrounds us. There was little we did to create this beauty. But be, oh so, thankful there are those who are tireless in their quest to keep the natural beauty, ever present, in our state.

Be thankful for a free press, especially one without the trappings of hidden agendas, unfairness and government control. In these days of a declining print press, I feel extremely thankful to come to you each week in this award-winning, community publication.

I am thankful for the legion of civic clubs, non- profit organizations and tireless volunteers that exist to serve others in so many ways in our communities.

I am thankful that such public facilities as libraries, senior citizen centers, boys and girls clubs, parks, walking trails and other recreational/public facilities. These facilities are certainly valued by the NW Arkansas city councils.

And we cannot forget the important job our public school system does in educating our children. Schools make our communities a great place to live, work and raise our families.

Be thankful for the many, well managed Animal Shelters that abound here in the Ozarks.

I am ever so thankful for the right to worship in a plethora of churches, temples, synagogues and meeting houses of almost every religion. Be thankful for your personal beliefs as well.

We need to be thankful in this state to have two ( major) viable political parties. The State of Arkansas, for too long, was dominated by one political party. Now we see that situation almost in reverse.

Being thankful for a wise, cooperative, congenial working relationship by members of both political parties as these members strive for the common good of our state.

And I am thankful, as we head into a new election cycle, for the men and women, who will hold themselves as candidates, to the voters. The politicians will ask you to examine them, before casting your vote.

And voting is another real blessing not to forget in 2014. Be thankful everyone. Happy Thanksgiving.

Maylon Rice