A Very Special Gratitude
First my November Gratitudes:
November 23rd: Steve and I live on the flight path to the Fort Wainwright airfield. We frequently hear aircraft flying over our house. And then, there are those moments when the house vibrates with the sound of a C-17 passing over. They fly so low, that I joke that I can see the pilot smiling. Military sounds don’t disturb me any longer - no matter how loud or how close. When I moved my sons down to Fort Benning GA back in 1993, we lived 1/4 from a multi-purpose range. We’d hear gunfire most days, but tanks would also train there, and we’d hear the big guns. Then there were the middle-of-the-night “gunship” planes which had cannons on board. The first couple of months, they’d wake us all up, because they sounded like they were crashing on our roof. But after awhile, we got used to it and had no problems sleeping through even the loudest training exercise. When I hear aircraft or gunfire, I feel proud that I married a soldier, and that I live in a military community. If I’m standing outside in my yard, I look to the skies and watch them fly over - waving to them, even if they can’t see me. I am thankful that there are people willing to go to work each and every day and do what most of us wouldn’t be able to, let alone want to. Today I am thankful for the “sound of freedom”.
November 24th: Today I am thankful that I live in a small enough city/town that I run into people I know when I’m out running errands. This morning I saw my friend Darla at Denny’s when Steve and I stopped to have breakfast. It was nice to catch up with her for a few minutes (and talk cameras, since she’s in the market for a new one). Then, at Fred Meyer, Steve ran into a guy who used to work at the mine, and they chatted for a few minutes. As we were leaving, we laughed about the fact that we can’t hardly go anywhere without running into someone we know. I like that about living here. Growing up in Philadelphia, the odds were pretty slim that you’d run into someone you knew while out and about. The city was crowded and busy and there were many places to shop. When it happened that you did run into an acquaintance, it was a pleasant surprise. The city of Fairbanks has a population of about 32,000. (If you add in borough residents, it swells to about 97,000 - but also encompasses 7444 square miles!) To put that in perspective with Philadelphia, consider that Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia holds 62,000 spectators - almost twice as many as the population of the city of Fairbanks! Even if I don’t run into someone I know personally, I always see familiar faces when I’m out and about. I like that. A lot. Today I’m thankful to live in a small community.
November 25th: Today, I am grateful for the always beautiful Northern Lights! They made an appearance last night around 10pm, and I stood beneath the sky watching curtains of light wave against the stars. As always, it was a magical experience and not too cold out either, which made it possible to stand out there for 30 minutes enjoying their dance.
