Today, the Rev. Mark Broadhead's message in the weekend edition's From the Pulpit hasn't escaped me.
It's a time to give thanks — and mean it.
So here's my list.
I'm thankful, first of all, for my family. A loving, supporting — if sometimes nagging and controlling (I say that with love) — group of people.
They frequently remind me of what is right and wrong, and to always act with the big picture in mind.
I'm thankful for my best friend, Sarah, who called Saturday evening, when I was holed up in the office putting together the midweek edition due to early holiday deadlines. She's so L.A. (Lower Alabama and California) and I'm so… boring … on the surface, anyway… but somehow we click.
Her call offered a welcome distraction for an editor in a lonely office. And our unlikely friendship has been a key motivator in life.
I'm thankful for my job; three years ago in Alabama, continuing in journalism didn't seem to be in the cards. I worked in print media for six years, but the local daily newspaper went down to three days a week, and the two weeklies I worked at folded into one publication.
The industry's outlook seemed bleak, so I took a one-year break, and flexed my marketing muscles booking appointments for life insurance, Medicare supplements and annuities as a licensed agent. (Can you believe it?)
My father's entrepreneurial example within fueled that period, but it wasn't my passion.
Then Halifax Media Group advertised an opportunity for the Crestview News Bulletin, showed me there's plenty of life in my chosen career, and it's been a great two years.
Of course, journalism has changed at a breakneck pace since I started in this business back in 2005.
We're not just putting out two twice-weekly newspapers; we're also live tweeting anything of significance we hear on the scanner or elsewhere; we're constantly updating the Facebook and Instagram; we're producing weekly webcasts and other video content; meeting each week to discuss long-term projects; networking; meeting with folks for stories, and putting out occasional fires.
But I'm thankful for those challenges. They test our mettle and teach us time management.
I'm thankful for the talented, dedicated team of professionals at the News Bulletin. I'm thankful for the brilliant people I work for who, by example, teach me new leadership methods.
In addition, I'm thankful for strengthened relationships with sources and others in the community. And for the friends I've made here in Crestview.
Yes, I'm thankful for my small circle of friends. I've always been better at work and networking than with my personal life. (And don't even get me started on my love life; it's always been a joke!)
But being able to be self-depracating and laugh at those things and learn from them, and wake up each day trying to be a better person… I'm thankful for that.
I believe it's important to have an attitude of gratitude: whether at work, at home or in relationships.
And sharing those stories with others can be inspirational.
So tell me: What are your blessings?
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What's your view? Email tboni@crestviewbulletin.com or tweet @cnbeditor.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR'S DESK: Things for which I'm thankful