Editorial

Giving thanks

Posted 11/23/22

Once again, the leaves are falling, the clouds have gathered and the geese have taken flight. The Christmas decorations have been visible in many stores since Halloween. The holiday season is upon …

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Editorial

Giving thanks

Posted

Once again, the leaves are falling, the clouds have gathered and the geese have taken flight. The Christmas decorations have been visible in many stores since Halloween. The holiday season is upon us.

This is the time of year when we are asked to count our blessings and consider how fortunate we truly are. We live in the shadow of the Shawangunks, often called “one of the last great places on earth.” It is a place of unquestioned beauty with small town charms and neighbors who truly care. We are thankful for our surroundings, our rivers and our trees

We are thankful too that nature has once again taken care of us. We were again spared the wrath of a relentless hurricane season, from Fiona and Ian, which decimated much of Florida’s gulf coast, and a winter storm which, just last weekend, left six feet of snow along the shores of Lake Erie.

We are thankful for those willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. While no American troops died in combat this year, at least one area resident was killed in battle. Willy Joseph Cancel, 22, former Orange County resident and Walden Volunteer Firefighter, is the first known American casualty of the war in Ukraine. He died in March while working for a military contracting company that sent him to Ukraine. Though his death is a tragedy, it does serve as a symbol of the generosity of residents who so often, pitch in to help friends and neighbors in need. That was the case, as residents contributed to help Brittany Cancel, his widow, and their seven-month-old son meet expenses.

That was only one example of local residents pitching in to help the cause of Ukrainian relief. There were numerous fundraisers throughout the valley. The Fitzgerald family of Montgomery raised more than $20,000 by selling pierogies. B.J. Mikkelsen of Milton went even further. Not only has he raised more than $30,000 to help those affected by the war, but he spent time in Berlin working with rotary clubs there and in Poland to aid in the relief effort by purchasing and shipping food and medicine to the people of this war-torn nation.

The Hudson Valley’s first-ever Covid Memorial Walk took place in June along the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, commemorating the more than 8,500 lives the region has lost to the deadly virus since early 2020. The numbers are devastating, and will be higher by the time the second annual walk takes place. We are thankful that the worst of the pandemic appears to be behind us, and we can go on with our lives.

We are thankful, too, for the many whose work often goes unnoticed, but still enriches our lives. They include the first responders who are ready to help at all hours of the day and night and in all kinds of weather; the public works people who plow our streets in the winter and keep our roads clear; the dedicated teachers who answer the challenge of educating our children; and the many volunteers who deliver meals, ring the Salvation Army bell and organize fundraisers for numerous charitable causes each year. The list goes on and on.

And we are thankful for all of our readers, advertisers and those who support our work in any way. We can’t imagine where we’d be without you.

Happy Thanksgiving.