The News Editorial: Much to be thankful for this season

It is Thanksgiving weekend this weekend and that means the start of a busy Christmas and holiday season with many events, concerts and shopping.

This week we have two entire pages (B1 and B2) full of area businesses with deals this weekend and on through Christmas. I encourage you to check out these businesses. See what they have to offer. You might find a hidden treasure for the person who is hard to buy for or you might find a hidden treasure for yourself.

I realize with inflation as high as it is money will be tight for many people in our communities, but if you do go Christmas shopping give your local businesses a chance first.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, be sure to pause and give thanks. If you feel you don’t have much to be thankful for, think of one thing and if you still need help, take a look at all the Worland third graders are thankful for in this week’s issue.

We can learn a lot from children and the way they look at the world.

No matter what struggles you may be going through we can all find one thing to be thankful for.

One thing I am thankful for is being able to listen to Ryan Leaf’s message to the students at the Wyoming Boys’ School and the message of hope he gave them, along with hope for those struggling with mental health and/or addiction.

He told them there is always hope and always a chance to turn things around because life is about choices and doing the next right thing when you are faced with a choice.

Leaf went from having a multi-million dollar career in the NFL to coming out of prison with nothing.

He now has a family of his own, he is a motivational speaker, an analyst for ESPN, has his own podcast and says he is living the dream he never realized he had.

He works at staying sober and working on his mental health every day, with every choice he makes.

Everyone goes through rough times in their lives. He told audiences last week that life is not fair for anyone, no matter how much money you have, what your job is, what your parents do. Life is about choices and choosing healthy and positive or negative and toxic.

This Thanksgiving you have a choice to choose to find something to be thankful for and share that with someone, or to be negative and not look for things for which to be thankful.

I am thankful for living in a small community like Worland, for the businesses who have invested in the community, I am thankful for living in Wyoming where the weather changes constantly (and I am thankful we are above zero this week), I am thankful for my dogs who give me so much joy watching them play and watching the weird things they do, I am thankful for the stories we get to write that chronicle the lives and events of the communities, I am thankful for the vehicle I drive that gets me to and from work, I am thankful for my kitties who keep the mice at bay and give Roscoe a hard time, I am thankful for my family and my friends.

I am thankful for Diet Dew and chocolate.

I am thankful for Christmas music and that with my earpods no one has to know I’ve been listening for over a week.

Yes, there is truly much to be thankful for and I hope you are able to count many blessings this Thanksgiving.

--Karla Pomeroy