Happy Thanksgiving!

It's nice to have a day dedicated to gratitude. Like all special days, it has "shoulders:" events before and events after. Tuesday the Haines High School cooking class sponsored a feast for high school students and their parents. Friday Haines businesses are offering special holiday opportunities to consumers and we will light the tree at the library - kicking off the season of camaraderie and lights. These events and more are the result of countless acts of individual creativity and energy, for which I am deeply grateful.

I played a small part in a specific event on Tuesday that, for me, illustrates the basic affection we have for one another and for creatures large and small. The Downtown Revitalization Committee meeting was just getting started at the Rusty Compass when committee member Brenda Jones came through the door cradling a kitty. She found the young animal lying in the dark on the highway about 4 mile. She said that when she stopped she didn't know what she was stopping for. A wild animal? An owl? It turned out to be a crushed, yet alive, young cat. She didn't hesitate. She scooped it up and drove to town. Did we know of anyone who could help?

As it happened, I was meeting hopping that evening and I knew that Steve Vick, executive director of the Haines Animal Rescue Kennel (HARK) and the Chair of the Assembly's Standing Committee, Government Affairs & Services, was about to convene a meeting elsewhere. We rushed over just before Mr. Vick convened his meeting and begged for a delay. Steve examined the kitty; Brenda suctioned out its nasal passages. The kitty was boxed into a nest, Brenda returned with the kitty to her meeting, Steve to his - and the beat of the borough went on, though we all wondered if the kitty would live through the night.

Wednesday morning Brenda emailed that she had named the kitty "Hope," and that "Hope was still alive." I loved that sentiment. One of the definitions, though considered archaic, of "hope" is a "feeling of trust." Haines is a place I trust. As my six-year old son once said, "Haines is a place where everyone takes care of everyone else," and we might add, "anything else." The story of Hope is one small illustration of the many acts of kindness performed by everyone of us.

I am perennially grateful for the borough I live in and I appreciate this special day to set aside time to celebrate it. Happy Thanksgiving!