Happy Thanksgiving, St. Charles

For some, the holiday recalls images of pilgrims, turkeys, perhaps maize or a cornucopia. For others, it conjures up images of tables piled high with steaming dishes of the season’s traditional fare.

For many of us, however, it is a time we stop to consider how we have been blessed, as noted by some of those who have “liked” St. Charles Patch on Facebook:

Lisa Ruud The beautiful weather we are having — was able to ride my bike today.

Lisa Ryan A job.

Karen McGowan Kowalczyk The health of my family and friends!

Certainly, Thanksgiving can be a time when we look back on worse times, or at better times.

At times today, I’ll certainly be thinking of the worse times. A year ago, I was grateful for the many ways God has blessed my family and I. But then, I was in the midst of a 19-month sojourn through un/underemployment, trying (failing, I fear) to balance three or four part-time jobs with a full-time job search and my family’s needs. It was a time that tested both my spirits and my faith. While my spirits ebbed and flowed with the daily struggles, my faith endured.

Here it is a year later, and I remain grateful for God’s providence. But this Thanksgiving, I have a full-time job that is proving busy, hectic at times, but very much in line with what I long have considered a lifelong calling to community journalism. I recently marked my four-month anniversary with St. Charles Patch. My education as a Patch editor and as a journalist serving the St. Charles community is not complete, but I am growing into this new role for which I am very grateful.

I receive encouragement from you, the people who use St. Charles Patch, on a far more frequent basis than I would have imagined, and I cherish that greatly. Thank you for that.

Patch is a remarkable organization that offers a remarkable service to the communities it serves with the goal of making your lives ridiculously easy. I am not only grateful to be working toward that goal for Patch in St. Charles, but I am thankful for the members of the team with whom I work in this area/region. "Patchers" are great folks!

So here’s to a happy Thanksgiving for each of you. May you eat enough today to be satisfied but not so much as to be uncomfortable. And may God grant you the joy and ability to be thankful today, regardless of your circumstance. If things are good, cherish that; if not, be grateful for what you do have and take encouragement from knowing situations change.

Happy Thanksgiving,

— St. Charles Patch editor Ted Schnell

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