Gratitude has been the theme of this week. Last week our Skyline R2 School students were grateful to the Ava Masonic Lodge for having given new shoes to every student. That was a generous gift from a generous outfit that made all the students and staff smile and say, “Thank you!”

Saturday found Champions with a long list of things for which to be grateful. The Historic Emporium was packed to overflowing with good neighbors, friends and family all gathering for a bounteous pot-luck feast and opportunity to visit and catch up with some who are seldom seen. The official head count was fifty-six, but there may well have been more. The whole thing may have been cooked up by a retired mail carrier and a surgical nurse—the first annual Champion Friendsgiving Day. Thank you. Kaitlyn McConnell and Mike O’Brian made it all the way from Springfield for the occasion, Kaitlyn with her trusty pie basket to add to the feast. Her Champion friends will look forward to the pie recipe book she is compiling from old cookbooks published by area fire departments, churches and neighborhoods.

By the time this is in ink and out into our rural mailboxes, leftovers will be the fare on many tables. A favorite keepsake from one Old Champion’s Mother is a wooden plaque hanging in her kitchen. It says, “Thank God for dirty dishes. They have a tale to tell. While others may go hungry, we’re eating very well. With home and health and happiness, I wouldn’t want to fuss. By this stack of evidence, God’s been very good to us.” While we rejoice in our good fortune, we are mindful of the suffering of many in our own country and all around the world.

These days we hear it said that closeness has not all that much to do with geography. Still, many are on the road and in the air looking for the warm embrace of family. We wish everyone safe travels there and back home. Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

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