Take a moment to be thankful for your community

Youth Change Reaction's new drive-in movie screen under construction on the Red Willow County Fairgrounds.

Bruce Crosby/McCook Gazette

Over the past few weeks, I have been researching stories and pictures for an annual report for the McCook Community Foundation Fund. As I sifted through news stories and searched through countless photos, I quickly lost count of all that had happened over the past year: both for MCFF and for the community.

As the end of the year draws closer, this is a great time to take a moment to reflect - and to be thankful - for all that we do have.

After all, It is easy to get caught up in day-to-day activities and lose sight of the changes around you. Or perhaps you focus on the negative that happened before instead of noticing the positive that has happened since. Or maybe you tend to dwell on the not-so-good stuff that you don’t acknowledge or perhaps even notice all the good going on in your life and in particular in your community.

So whether you are reading this before, during, or after Thanksgiving, spend a moment or two thinking about what you appreciate has happened in your life and in your community over the past year.

I’ll get you started to get the juices flowing.

Perhaps you noticed the overflowing flower pots on the corners of Norris Avenue in downtown McCook. Did you know those were organized by a group of volunteers who simply wanted to bring a touch of color and beauty to downtown? Did you know they were maintained and watered by a group of volunteers to keep them alive all summer long?

The group has plans to maintain the flower project through the holidays and hopefully expand not on the size of the pots but also the number in the future. This is also the same group that is responsible for the lights along the skyline in downtown McCook, as well as lighting in Norris Park and the parks on Norris and B Streets.

Beautify McCook is just getting started but I am thankful that this group of people is working to make their community better one light, one plant, one project at a time.

(As always, I have to mention that if you want to donate your time or money, please reach out to this or any group that sparks your interest.)

I am also thankful for a project that has been in the works for nearly a decade, but the finish line is within sight: the McCook City Pool. I intentionally go by the pool to see the daily progress being made at the pool construction site with the giant hole in the ground slowly being transformed into a recognizable form.

It would be easy to dwell on how long it took to get to this point or the stumbling blocks that popped up along the way. Instead, we should focus on the voters who turned out to support funding the project and think about the joy people of all ages will have when the pool opens next summer.

I am also thankful for another project that has seemingly been in the works for a long time but is also coming to fruition: MCFF’s Youth Change Reaction’s Cars Under the Stars drive-in theater at the Red Willow Fairgrounds. It is a project which started quickly out of the blocks but hit a few hurdles mid-stride. Fortunately, everyone involved picked themselves up and overcame those roadblocks and the youth-led project will hopefully become a reality next spring.

And the list of things to be thankful doesn’t have to be anything manmade or that took effort on our part to make it happen.

Every Autumn, I look forward to driving south, heading over the river out of McCook toward my house. Because of the slight curve in the road, my windshield - for just a few seconds - is filled with a row of beautiful, changing fall foliage. I realize this means the trees will soon be bare but for just a few weeks, my drive home is filled with yellows and oranges and reds that leave you in awe.

As you gather with friends and family for the holidays, take a few moments to reflect on what you are thankful for. Maybe it is telling your spouse and kids that you are grateful for all of them. Maybe it is sharing with your friends that you appreciate their continued friendship. Or maybe it simply walking around your community and being proud of what has already been accomplished and hopeful for what the future holds.