Thanksgiving Message 2024 Post-Helene Resiliency and Strength

I have so much to be thankful for. Living through (and now in the aftermath of) a natural disaster has taught me so much about humankind. The stories of unimaginable loss and hardship are tempered with glimmers of hope, joy and downright thankfulness. The spirit of my neighbors, friends, business associates and our community in general, is buoyant, contagious and uplifting. Small and large victories are celebrated, from helping remove downed trees on our streets to listening to reports each afternoon on the progress of our water system, every moment has acted as a catalyst, pulling people together.?

I created a list of just a few things I am especially thankful for as we celebrate Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for (in no particular order):

1. the safety, health and love of my family and friends (that includes me too!).
2. a roof over my head.
3. the extraordinary generosity of family and friends in too many ways to mention - believe me, we feel the love…
4. the kindness of everyone I come into contact with.
5. the amazing amount of people who have come from, literally, all over the world to help.
6. the ability to witness a diverse group of people, putting differences aside, working together to accomplish Herculean feats, day after day, week after week.
7. the extraordinary resiliency of the folks of Western North Carolina.?
8. the knowledge we can overcome any obstacle by faith and perseverance.
9. the ability to see the golden lining Hurricane Helene left behind. Notably, as we rebuild all that we love and have lost, knowing Western North Carolina will shine.

I am confident and thankful knowing we will persevere. We will remain strong and united. We will keep kindness in our hearts and civility in our minds. We will continue to watch out for our neighbors. We will remain respectful and responsible stewards of these beautiful mountains. We will mourn and never forget those we have lost. We will tell stories, far into the future. Helene was strong, the people of Western North Carolina are stronger. For this and so much more, I am thankful and truly feel abundantly blessed and enriched.

Sending warmest wishes to all on this Thanksgiving holiday.

#thankful #grateful #resilient #encourge #thanksgiving