As everyone sat around their dinner tables Thursday, no doubt enjoying a variety of Southern delicacies and the company of their nearest and dearest, few probably noticed the crumpled or discarded newspapers sitting alongside them.

There on those pages are the story of this city and its people – the struggles and celebrations, the good news and the bad news, that etches into history the tales of a town.

While my gratitude for the gifts in my life is not lacking – a beautiful wife and two wonderful children, a healthy body and a strong mind, a working vehicle and a roof above my head – I’m thankful for the opportunity to sit in the newsroom on Water Avenue each day and write the stories of this town.

It is truly a privilege to get to know this town and the people who call it home and to be trusted with the task of documenting all that this city is and hopes to be; it’s an honor to have the support and trust of a community that values its local periodical and salutes the men and women who bring it to life each day; it’s a joy to get to know the people and places that make this city a community and to be appreciated for the time and sacrifice it takes to bring their stories to life.

There is so much love in this community – it pours out as holiday meals prepared by gracious hands to feed those in need; it spills out in words and smiles from those who goad us on each day and provide us with the sentences, paragraphs and stories that make our paper worth reading; it explodes onto newsprint each day and, to a newsman’s joy, there is never want for more.

And while the triumphs are not the only news that’s shared, there is gratification in sharing facts with those who demand nothing less from their local press – whether that’s the dictation of a City Council meeting or the highlights of a school board gathering.

This year, I give thanks to the people of this community who make each day as a journalist more worthwhile than the one before – they congratulate me on my work and contribute so much to it. Surely, a reporter is only as good as the people he writes about and I could not ask for a better people to work with and write about each day.

With Thanksgiving leftovers still filling the fridge, and the inevitable hunt for affordable gifts on the horizon, I will gladly be returning to work each day to share your stories, celebrate your victories and tell the tales of this city.