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!
The Fourth Of July is just days away. All kinds of commotion swirls around Town Hall in downtown Shady Pines Story Town. 
The few employees still working there (others work from home) are social distancing, wearing masks, and talking on their cell phones. These employees have to let their neighbors know what they can and can’t do on the Fourth.
There will be no parade down Main Street and no big ‘ole barbeque in Stonewall Park. But there are still plans to have smaller gatherings around town.
Mayor Beauregard P. Fibbs sits at his big wooden desk in his office at City Hall and answers one phone call after another. He gets more frustrated by the minute. Finally, he calls for his assistant.
their own homes for cryin’ out loud!”
Ask any adult raising a young child and they’ll tell you they want their youngster to understanding the importance of compassion. Shady Pines Story Town’s very own, Edna Sanders, saw a story on TV recently that showed a very unique approach to teaching this very basic life lesson.