So maybe your candidate didn’t win this election, but no matter what goes on around us, Thanksgiving gives us a chance to count our blessings.

I’m thankful for my ever growing family and having good friends, my health, a warm and dry place to live, enough to eat and a job I enjoy. Not everyone can make those claims. While we need to be grateful for what we have, I hope most of us will continue to work to help those who need our help the most.

While not everyone may know it I’ve had a new woman come into my life a couple years back, Dana. She is a hometown girl and she moved back to Oroville from Westbank and she has three kids of her own. Now I count five children, three at home, and my little granddaughter, as well as my brothers and their wives, my nephews and niece, my uncle and aunts, cousins and of course my mom. My little house by the river is full of family cheer year around now. The holidays, especially Thanksgiving, gives me time to reflect on all the good things in my life.

I’m thankful for the people I work with at the Gazette-Tribune and the people who make up our community. This year I’m also grateful that Dana, after looking for two years, has found a full time job that so far represents a challenge that she finds fulfilling.

In addition, I’m happy to see that some of the businesses we thought were closing down seem to have found new ownership and perhaps it will add strength to the local economy. It is always welcome to see once empty spaces fill up and be busy again.

This Thanksgiving, like those past, I choose to count my blessings for the things that are good in my life and work towards changing the things that are less so. I also want to repeat that for those that are struggling to find work or pay a mortgage or to keep a business going or just to break even I hope there will be positive changes in the future and that they can find more things to be thankful for too.

It is also great that there are still places for people to gather for a Thanksgiving dinner and be with other community members – whether it be at the Oroville Senior Center, the Chesaw Community Hall or the Tonasket Eagles. I’ll never forget my dad asking my mom to prepare a plate for someone he knew wouldn’t get a Thanksgiving dinner otherwise or just inviting them to join in with us at our table.

With the turkey as yet to be eaten, it’s hard to believe that soon we’ll be gearing up for Christmas. I’ve already attended the annual Oroville Christmas Bazaar and there was a nice mixture of items for sale. When I was a kid that was one of my go to places for a Christmas present for my mom. Surprise, it’s another candle. She probably wasn’t surprised.

Anyway, here’s wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. At the G-T we have a four day holiday and won’t be open from Thursday to Sunday. Something I’m also thankful for.