letter to the editor

Gratitude is a rich word

Tue, 11/21/2017 - 12:00pm

Dear Editor:

When I was a child my prayers were always being thankful for members of my family, including grandma, grandpa and all 19 cousins. As we age we find ourselves adding our own children and grandchildren to the list of joyful characters filling our lives. My world of gratitude expands with friends who became gifted parts of my life, including work colleagues.

Last Saturday was spent with my son who is moving to Florida and will be missed a lot. Still, we are grateful that he is joining a former work colleague in a new business. Saturday night I received a call from a work colleague Gwynne Jamieson, former marketing director at Millipore Corporation and the primary reason I became a mother of 10 refugees from five countries. Gwynne was foster mother of three Vietnamese siblings. Today we both gratefully remain family members of our refugee children.

Gwynne recently received a national award for her fight to save the Amtrak trains that run through Alpine, Texas. It seems the proposed budget would cut service to 220 cities, and Alpine has 5,000 passengers riding every year. I am grateful for her ability to advocate on everyone’s behalf as well as her love of life, family, and all the children she taught in school.

Friends move in and out of our daily lives, and it can be years since we have seen each other. Thankfully we have phones that catch us up with each other’s world. There are many who have entered our doors providing us with joy and sometimes angst. In either case there is a richness in life as we share and learn lessons together. Every Thanksgiving I try to recall all encounters of friends who left an enduring memory in my heart. Some are no longer here, but their memories offer a wealth of kindness. For all who have brushed my life, thank you.  You are a contributor to my character and a teacher who made me strong and grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  Be grateful for every friend in your life.

Jarryl Larson

Edgecomb