The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

Oh, To Be Thankful!

by Dessa Rodeffer
Quill Editor/Publisher

15 November 2000

Mission Impossible you say, to be thankful at all times.

Boy, wouldn't it be nice if everyone could be thankful for what they do have, but sometimes it is hard to see the blessings for the heavy burdens we carry.

When trouble strikes us or our loved ones are hurt, as my husband's nephew was yesterday, it is hard to look at what we can be thankful for at this time of Thanksgiving. Our thoughts turn more to prayers of mercy and healing.

But even when our hearts are breaking, we soon turn to thanksgiving for that precious life we have been given, for the support of family and friends, for EMTs and drivers and ambulance volunteers, and for the medical professionals at the hospitals that do their best for the sick and hurting families.

And when we lose a dear life, such as Carman's "Dude" Bundy of Oak Lane Nursing Home, we are thankful for the things he taught us and for the life he lived so well.

In the midst of tragedies, we find we are always surrounded by blessings. Many times we can not help, but we can comfort others by being there and listening.

On a lighter note, I am thankful for a good football season for our area teams.

It is football playoff time for the La Harpe/Northwestern Thunder. It was exciting to know that the Rebels beat the odds and made it to the playoffs as the only team to score against Galena.

Now on Saturday, while the Thunder attack their rivals at East Dubuque, the Carthage Blueboys will be playing nearby against the Galena Pirates. Galena and East Dubuque are as close on the map as Carthage and La Harpe which seems unusual for the top 4 contenders in this large state.

I am thankful for football and the opportunities each of these young men have in excelling as a team.

It may seem like just a game to some, but once you get involved, you see it is so much more.

I will always remember the Thunder players and their opponents of Pittsfield on their knees before last year's Homecoming game. Coach John Earle led the teams in prayer after classmates Dannen Latherow and Stuart Curtis were killed in a car/train accident and a Pittsfield player in a car accident the previous weekend.

Even as opponents, teams are taught respect for each other, something we need in our country, even as opponents for President of The United States.

Mission Impossible? I don't think so. If we would only make every day a day of thanksgiving, within a month, we would have a world with a change of heart.