Ask Billie

This is the week of Thanksgiving and yes, it is more than parades and football games. Those activities are all good but I hope we never forget the real meaning and that is to give thanks.

We hear a lot of stories about mothers-in-law, but mine was one of those special ladies who used the word thankful more than anyone I had been around. She loved to sing, and when we visited that Texas Panhandle farm, we would hear her singing in the early morning as she prepared breakfast. One of her more familiar songs was the old gospel one, "Count your many blessings, name them one by one, count your many blessings, and see what God has done".

Several years ago, my friend Larry Wadler shared something he was doing. At the end of the day he made a list of the events or happenings that he was thankful for. I thought that was a good idea and it is amazing how many large and small people and things that cross your path in a single day and give you cause to be thankful.

Indeed, each day is a gift and we are thankful that those who settled this land over 500 years ago stopped to give thanks. This is a tradition we must not give away or let slip by.

Many of us as parents remember putting our children to bed and prayer was an important part of the ritual. One little girl I knew very well used this also as a time to stall her bedtime. She prayed for everything and everyone by name, often more than once. After a while she had to be reminded that God really did know she was thankful.

At this season maybe the child in us should make our own list. I am thankful for the volunteers who make this a great community by giving their time to make downtown festive for the holidays. Not even the Saturday showers dampened their spirits.

I am thankful for people like Bob Judson, who we lost this past week. Bob was President of the Wharton Chamber of Commerce for three years, 1963, 64 and '65. He was the only one in the history of the chamber to serve 3 terms. He never lost interest and we visited recently while getting our mail. He was a fine gentleman.

This year is a special one for the Arnold family to be thankful. Just this week Major Clint Arnold returned to the U.S. from a year embedded with and training Iraqi military. Many of you have family serving in far away places and look forward to their safe return home.

This morning I had business in the Wharton County Courthouse, the first real business visit. In the quietness of the hall, there was a minute to remember with thanksgiving the many months and years that went into restoring the beautiful building and the countless people who made it happen.

This was another morning to be thankful for the Santa Fe Trail. When Ron Sanders and Randy Michael first approached me with their idea, I thought, "Oh, no, not something else that is going to take my time and money." Then the City of Wharton and Wharton Rotary and others got on board and look at it today.

To walk the Santa Fe Trail at any hour is to see the real Wharton. We are all ages, from those young and moving fast to the very elderly who move with great difficulty. We are all colors, visiting along the way and there are no social or financial barriers, just citizens exercising. This is the way Thanksgiving 2007 seems to me and I am confident you have a similar list.