It is our wish that on this Thanksgiving Day, you have more blessings to recount than sorrows. The pages of this paper reflect throughout the year, the great accomplishments and joys in the lives of our readers and the great losses and disappointments as well. Our hearts go out to all those whose Thanksgiving table this year will have an empty place, a space that no one else can ever fill.

We also want to remember today all the countless members of this community who give so freely of their time and/or money to make this little speck on a big planet such an enriching, enlightening place to live, to raise children, to experience life.

We are thankful for those people who set a tone for civil discourse in the public arena allowing all voices to be heard on the issues that face us. Our ability to talk with each other in spite of our differing opinions is the hallmark of a civilization. It is our hope that we will be able to forgive each other for the intemperate words sometimes flung into the air when frustration outweighs patience.

Elizabeth Bibesco conveyed our thoughts for today best when she wrote, "Blessed are those who can give without remembering, and take without forgetting."

- Carol Frank