Happy Thanksgiving!

Each year, Thanksgiving offers us a choice. Do we truly give thanks? Or do we simply go through the holiday motions?
It’s easy to put things on autopilot – gathering with family, gorging ourselves on holiday goodies and lounging in front of endless football games?
But does that really move us in directions that this uniquely American holiday should? Do we ever consider those things for which we should be deeply thankful? If not, how can we move ourselves in that direction?
Here in Fayette County, our farmers have had another good harvest. That always bodes well for the local economy – for as go our farmers, so goes the rest of the economy.  
And Vandalia’s downtown shopping district hasn’t looked better for years. The streetscape work on Gallatin Street is completed and several new shops have added a new vibrancy to the area. If you attended last Friday’s Olde Tyme Christmas celebration, you had to be impressed with the level of activity there. Make sure you do your shopping locally whenever possible.
But how about those for whom the Thanksgiving holiday is difficult? Perhaps they have lost a loved one. Maybe they are concerned about a son or daughter serving in the military. Or perhaps they've lost their job.
Whatever the reason, there are people around us who need someone to reach out to them this Thanksgiving. Take a look around. Then, pull up an extra chair for them at your Thanksgiving table.
Remember, you have a choice: Go through the motions, or go the extra mile. It's up to you.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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