Today I am grateful for ...

Originally published in the Ketchikan Daily News, November 2017; written by Pat Tully

For the past few weeks the Library has had a display across from the circulation desk, asking people to finish the sentence, ‘Today I am grateful ___’.

Sometimes this is a difficult sentence to finish.

“Today I am grateful … that my car broke down in town instead of 5 miles out.”

“Today I am grateful … that my head cold has not (yet) turned into the flu.”

“Today I am grateful … that my kid came in OK after being out most of the night.”

Some days the annoyances and inconveniences pile up, minor but irritating, and the feeling of gratitude is hard to muster up. And Thanksgiving, our annual day of giving thanks, is often stressful, particularly if you are doing the cooking!

But when the day is done and the house set to rights, there is time to think about all there is to be grateful for—material things certainly, but especially people—family, friends, colleagues and community. Here’s what I am grateful for this year:

I am grateful for the power and resilience of family. Like many families, mine is spread out all over the country, far from where we grew up in Ohio. This year we have come together to assist a relative who is gravely ill, and I am grateful for the love and generosity of family members and the unexpected strength of our ties to one another.

I am grateful for old and new friendships. This past January I moved to Ketchikan. Since then, old friends have kept in touch via phone calls, email and Facebook, passing on the latest news from Connecticut and making sure I settled into my new home in Ketchikan. And new Ketchikan friends have welcomed me with open arms to this lovely and vibrant place.

I am grateful for my colleagues at the Ketchikan Public Library. The Library’s staff members are funny, articulate, and passionate about the Library’s mission of serving the people of Ketchikan with resources and programs that instruct, entertain, and bring the community together.

Finally, I am grateful to live in Ketchikan—beautiful, prosperous, and vibrant, where we can disagree and still work together, where we help each other in bad times and celebrate the good times.