A few weeks ago I promised editor Bruce Crosby that I'd write a typical Thanksgiving Day column to run in place of my normal Good Deeds feature. You know the type I mean, the one that lists all that we have to be grateful for and makes you feel good and wonderful inside as you read it.

Being the procrastinator that I am, I started thinking about this column on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I thought maybe I'd make a quick list of all the blessings I've received lately and all the blessings that our community has gotten as well. Shouldn't take long I mused; I can crank this thing out in under an hour. My duty will be fulfilled and I can focus on thawing the turkey and shining the silverware.

But as I started to think of all the blessings that I've been recipient of lately, an unsettling thought struck me. Maybe there isn't that much for which to be thankful. Maybe there aren't that many blessings to gloat about. Maybe there's no "thank" in Thanksgiving this year. Maybe this column will focus more on the bad things than on the good.

Let's be realistic and look at the downside of life in McCook, Nebraska. Our drought continues, and although we did have some moisture this year, it's not enough to get us out of the brown designation on the drought maps. The sagging economy has hit Southwest Nebraska, and many businesses and families are struggling financially. Several of our young men and women have been sent overseas to places like Iraq and Bosnia where they face peril and danger every day. The water issue continues for the city. The school facility problem is back on the agenda. We've had to dodge barricades and drive on one-lane roads on B Street all summer.

My own life has not been a bed of roses either, I decided. I'm still reeling from the death of a very close friend a year ago. I miss her dearly and feel a hole in my soul that she used to fill. One of our daughters has a long-term health issue we've been dealing with for three years now, and it looks like there is still a long way to go before we get her healed. We are too busy, too stressed, too burned-out. There are always more bills than money by the end of the month.

Now that I've depressed all of you, let me please beg you to continue reading.

There were some good things that occurred in McCook in 2003. We did get some moisture this year. The situation is improving a little for the farm economy. The Work Ethic Camp did not close this year and continues to gain support from State Senators and judges. Our brave servicemen and women from this area continue to be safe and not harmed. They have the support and prayers of our entire town. Our City Council members and School Board members are working diligently to seek solutions for our problems. B Street is completed and it looks wonderful. Our schools are filled with outstanding young men and women who make us proud everyday.

And as I look at my life, I can see the good mingled in with the bad. Even though my friend is gone, I am blessed with an abundance of friends who help me through each day. I have even made amends and strengthened an old friendship that was floundering. This is a true treasure. Laura's jaw problem has finally gotten a thorough diagnosis from doctors and she is started on a treatment plan. All our children are relatively healthy, happy, passing their classes (even Chris in math!) and are speaking to us. Even though we have a lot to do each day, we have the strength and ability to get it done. We have jobs.

Maybe the bad comes our way to help us appreciate the good. If I never lost a family member or friend to death, would I cherish the ones I still have? If poor health never visited our door, would we rejoice so much when we get a clean bill of health from the doctor? If money woes never existed for us, would we be so appreciative of our bounty?

And if we never had years where the football team was lucky to win five games all season (like when I was in high school here) would we be so thrilled with our Bison and their 26-game winning streak and back-to-back state championships?

Sure life can be tough at times, but thank goodness it's not tough all the time. My life situation might be difficult, but I can easily find 10 people who are having a rougher go of it than I am. There are bad times in life, but we can handle it and hang on until the good surfaces.

So I've decided to go ahead and do that traditional "grateful" list that I couldn't bring myself to do at the beginning of this column. Here goes: For Thanksgiving 2003 I am blessed with my many friends who put up with me, my children for loving me and letting me love them, our extended family members who care about us and cheer us on, our church family and the love and grace we receive from them, our jobs which keep us busy and out of trouble, the babysitting kids which bring love, laughter, and mayhem into our home each day, my wonderful husband who has loved me for the past 29 years and has cooked the turkey every Thanksgiving since we've been married, and most of all, my God who watches over all of us and fills our lives with many blessings and abundances.

And this year I am adding this column, the staff at the Gazette, and its readers to my gratitude list. I have been truly blessed to be given this opportunity to seek out the good-doers in our area and learn about their lives, their sacrifices, and their sweet spirits. They give me such a lift and a feeling of awe-struck admiration as I see what their lives entail.

My goal in life is to tell their story as a way of giving all of us a model for our lives and a sense of appreciation for those around us.

I hope you find time this week, between boiling the giblets and mashing the potatoes, to think back over this past year and mentally list all the bad and the good that its given you. Be grateful that you've survived the bad and that there is good in the midst of your life. Take time to appreciate those around you and tell them what they mean to you. And go ahead and have that extra piece of pumpkin pie. You can never have too much of a good thing!