The holidays are over, and now we can all think about our joys and sorrows of the past year. I find it much better to remember the good things, although I must admit, one thing we knew would happen was the loss of our dog Muppet.
She had been an integral part of our family for all but four months of her 15 years of life. She passed away Dec. 30, 2018. What a pal. I believe that most of you have suffered similar losses and I sympathize.
During the holidays, I think so often of those persons who have to work. It always seemed that while I was in the Air Force I had duty on so many Christmases, but I got off for other holidays.
Now, I am thankful for the many people that do work: on weekends, night shift, long shifts and, of course, standby. These persons are medical staff, cooks, bakers, waiters, cashiers, power plant operators, bar tenders, hotel/motel personnel, service station attendants, (even self service needs people on stand-by) and many other people that work while we can relax with glorious meals and TV programs, or going to the games. There are many others I haven’t mentioned, but they work at their duties so we can relax. Isn’t that wonderful? I thank them all.
There are many ways to thank these citizens, mostly by telling them how much you appreciate their sacrifice. Sure, they often get special pay or allowances, and they deserve every nickel, dime or dollar. The police, fire personnel, Coast Guard and other military do not get special pay for weekends or holidays; it is just part of their accepted duties.
Barbara and I are thankful for the dedication of these holiday employees and we say thank you, thank you, thank you.