A Time for Thanksgiving

by: Bill Liblick

Overeating, shopping till you drop, that is what this weekend has become famous for. After all, it is the official start of the holiday season.

As we mark another thanksgiving, and enter the time of year when we party with family and friends and exchange gifts, we must also take a step back and reflect on all things we should be thankful for.

Sullivan County residents have a unique desire to help one another despite religious or political beliefs. When a disaster occurs we all unite, and to that we must all be thankful.

We are fortunate to have so many dedicated people who volunteer their services for us. Our firefighters, ambulance workers, and members of civic and religious organizations continually go above and beyond their call of duty.

We must be thankful to all the members of our law enforcement community who constantly risk their lives for us. Thank you to our hard working underpaid prosecutors who could earn so much more in the private sector. These people have a spirit in them that words cannot express.

We should all be thankful for those working hard to make positive change happen in Sullivan County. County manager David Fanslau must be singled out for the inroads he is making to turn things around. Still, the problems facing us are very real.

I am often critical of many of our elected officials and their approach to running our government. I am equally grateful for all they do for us, both Democratic and Republican. We are all fighting for the same goals.

Democrats must be especially thankful to party chairman Timothy Hill, who despite his illness, keeps on going like an energizer bunny fighting for what he believes in.

Residents in the Town of Thompson have to be thankful that the one and only Tony Cellini is back at work after being absent during a long illness.

And yes, we must all be thankful that the elections are now behind us. We can only hope that all those elected will put their personal differences aside, and unite to work for a better and more prosperous Sullivan County.

With increased optimism, I trust that all members of our new legislature will start with a clean slate. Ron Hiatt would be a perfect pick as chairman and Leni Binder or Alan Sorensen would serve us well as vice-chair. There must be coalition building between Democrats and Republicans otherwise nothing will change, more on that in a future column.

Unfortunately, the holidays are not a joyous of time of year for many people. There are those who have no one to celebrate with, and they tend to become sad and lonely. Depression is known to occur more frequently, as the days get shorter and it becomes colder. We must be thankful to all of the charitable organizations that are there for those in need.

The holiday season is a time we should embrace all of our fellow human beings no matter what race, creed, color, education, or economic status they are. Let’s be thankful for what we have, and share the joy with those around us.

Leave out an extra bowl of food for that stray cat.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving weekend.

Email Bill