Opinion

The fall season has taken a toll. The dreary skies and cold weather make me want to hibernate. You come out of that foggy displaced feeling and realize you once again are talking to your tv or answering the questions on the commercials.

Merry Christmas friends! I hope you had a wonderful 2022. I started the year reading Daily Reflections for Highly Effective People.

This isn’t one of those silly columns with funny stories and incidents you can see in your own mind. This time of year is hard for a lot of people.

It takes a special person to work in a public service career. Public service professionals serve their community in immeasurable ways by offering social services, educating children, protecting the welfare of others and promoting public health. For this reason, I have never understood why the salaries of public servants are often much less than the salaries of other professions. It’s a sad state of affairs when occupations such as professional athletes earn unfathomable amounts of money in the form of a salary. I’m of the mindset that if you want insight into what a business, society, family or employer does value, just follow where money is spent. If this is true, society has proven over time that professions such as police officers, EMTs, teachers, First Responders, and social workers are not truly at the very least, a fair day’s wage.

The city workers were busy this past week hanging the banners and Christmas decorations. It was always so hard as a kid to get thru the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The Gardner and Edgerton communities should be proud of what the Gardner Edgerton High School football team and coaches accomplished this season. This was a total team effort without a big star.

On the quest to raising good humans, I realize that most people tend to use the holidays as a teachable time for kids. We encourage the need to do good for others who might have less than we do as we donate food, toys, money and help in our communities and beyond. We do this on overdrive in November and December because these months are within the “season of giving.” And while I wish this was more of a year-round notion; I still jump on board with my own three kids to embrace the season as a time to do for others with no expectation of gain. Many of the best ways to help others costs nothing at all, aside from some time and effort.

While I am quite fond of the Vince Guaraldi, the solo artist and his Trio, there are limits to my affection. I happen to dislike Christmas songs. Yes, each and every one of them. Even the ones by the Vince Guaraldi and his Trio.

While I enjoy watching the Food Channel, I’m not a foodie. I come from a family that eats the basic provisions. We’re not big on spices, or fancy dishes. My mom is a good cook. She will tell you that she isn’t, she is modest that way. She has cooked for our family for decades and if you’ve seen any one of us, you know we aren’t starving. Her potato soup with its simple ingredients, has the power to heal bruised hearts, tired souls and the common cold. I think it’s the love she puts into her cooking. Love enhances food more than exotic ingredients ever could.