Christmas Countdown & Blessings
Special Delivery
Look out! Oh, no! Whoa!
The amount of holiday mail is unbelievable this year. I’m Kim Dunworthy and I work for the Shady Pines post office. No kidding. We have our hands full – literally! Getting everything delivered on time is a real challenge. But we’re up to it.
Here’s the best part. Everyone knows we’re living in difficult times. But while I’m out making deliveries, I talk to our neighbors. This year, more than most, they’re counting their blessings.
All The News 
Take Zulah Talmadge for example. Our hard working editor of The Shady Pines Gazette is out reporting everyday on how our town is coping during this pandemic. When I delivered the mail to her office yesterday she told me about all the prople who have thanked her for doing such a good job. It really made her feel good. Isn’t that nice? She says she’s so grateful.
Get The Scoop
The same thing could be said for Scoop the Cub Reporter. That red headed teenager goes above and beyond the call of duty. I see him out in all sorts 
of weather reporting on everything. After a big storm, there he is telling us about power outtages and clean up efforts. Or, he’s down at Town Hall letting us know what the mayor has in mind for school closings and stuff like that. Why, I once saw him interviewing a group of folks who didn’t want the big oak tree on Main Street to be torn down. He’s says he’s so lucky to be a reporter. He 
feels it’s a privilege to make sure people feel their voices are being heard.
His Honor
Of course, the most influential voice in town is that of Mayor Beauregard P. Fibbs. He’s quite a character. I asked him the other day as I was dropping off a package what he likes about being mayor. He thought for a moment. Then he told me that serving others is a wonderful way to spend each day. He said it’s not the big speeches or the parades that matter. He feels good when he can do something to improve the life of a person or a family in need. He showed me the stack of Thank You letters he’s recieved. After reading some of them, I see what he means.
Centered Activities
Over at the Community Center I drop off a whole stack of mail for Rita Mallena. As the center’s director, she’s been switching up activities like crazy trying to make sure most of them can be done on line. Teachers at nearby Shady Pines Elementary School have been doing the same. Rita says she’s had so much help from an army of volunteers. By coordinating with the school she’s been able to keep kids entertained and engaged in ways she would never have thought up on her own. I think I saw tears in her eyes as she explained how grateful she is to everyone who has helped her this year.
What a Doggone Year
I know the Sanders family will have a thing or two to say. As I park in front of their home on Dogwood Drive across from Copy Cat Lane, I hear voices laughing out back. Harold and Edna are playing with their dog, Boomerang, while their cat, Halley’s Comet, sits on the picnic table trying to ignore them. I hand them a fistful of envelopes and ask how they’re doing. Harold says he’s more grateful than ever for the things he used to taked for granted. Friends and family take on new meaning now. Edna says she’s found new purpose volunteering with food drives and the ‘Give A Kid A Coat’ campaign. Mostly, they say, they have more tolerance and compassion knowing that everyone is hurting in some way. For more, check out Boomer and Halley Books
A Parting Thought
That’s the thing. We all may feel isolated at times; even depressed. I know I’ve had days when I thought, “will I get through this?” 2020 has been a really tough year. And, we don’t always know what other people are going through, do we? Here’s a video about being grateful from the sensational Emmy Award-winning vocal group Pentatonix called, THANK YOU.
So as I finish up my rounds today, I want to deliver this message that my mom told to me. Take time to cherish the people in your life. Time is precious. Count your blessings and be thankful for the good things you do have. Be kind, even when it’s hard. Give people the benefit of the doubt and hope they will do the same for you.
Oh, no, I running late. Merry Christmas! See you soon!
It’s so cool that my editor, Zulah Talmadge, gave me this assignment. I get a kick outta seeing what the kids write.
Oh, this should be interesting. It’s from Boomer. Just what does this Australian Shepherd want from Santa?
Here’s another letter. This one is from Mark Cahill. He’s only 5 years old. I can’t wait to read this one.
Scoop puts Rita’s letter back in the envelope. Geez. If all the letters that come into the Gazette office are as good as this batch, it’s going to be hard to pick winners. Just wondering, what would your letter to Santa say this year? Please let us know and leave a comment below!
You know the 2020 election is just days away when you see Boomer and Halley gettin’ out the vote. 
That’s our local author Mary Jane McKittrick behind the wheel of Harold Sanders’ truck. He calls his ‘ole jalopy, “Bolts,” ’cause he owns the Nuts ‘N Bolts harware store on Main Street.
election. Why, the phones have been ringing like crazy here in the news office! People are asking all kinds of questions about where and how to vote.
more people than ever getting involved in early voting. Look at all those people! And just think, Election Day (Tuesday, November 4th) is still a ways off. We haven’t seen this much excitment about an election since our mayoral election in Shady Pines a few years back.
office furniture and his wife was driving a new car.
It was the biggest thing to happen to Shady Pines in a long time. There were fundraising events, barbeques and speeches. Everybody got involved. I won’t tell you how the election turned out. You’ll have to read about it in Mary Jane’s book.
Over on Dogwood Drive across from Copy Cat Lane, Edna Sanders is getting ready. She’s already put all the back and front porch furniture into the garage so they won’t blow away.
“Boom, are trying to help?
“There you are,” says Edna. “I knew you had to be around here somewhere.”
Edna’s husband, Harold, owns the Nuts ‘N Bolts hardware store on Main Street downtown. He left for work early this morning knowing it would be busy with people grabbing last-minute items.
“He does have a way of calming people down, doesn’t he?”
The curtains move gently from the open windows in the Sanders house on Dogwood Drive.
As she leans down to pat him, Edna thinks about her cat, Halley’s Comet.
As he makes notes on what to re-order, his cell phone rings. “Hi Honey, what’s up?”
“We’ll need this to fill up the kiddie pool once Harold hauls it out here for us.”
house.
Halley gives him one of her looks. “Really? You didn’t see the squirrel?” Boomer grins at her. “Nope.”
It’s late afternoon now and the shadows in the backyard grow longer. A nice breeze causes the wind chime made of spoons to sing. The wooden table with blue and red checkered napkins is set. Here we find Harold and Edna enjoying their pasta salad, crusty bread, and sipping on lemonade.