Northern Wyoming News - Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years

Happy Thanksgiving, albeit two days late. But while Thanksgiving Day is celebrated just once a year on the fourth Thursday in November, the attitude of thanksgiving should carry on throughout the year.

The Bible talks a lot of about Thanksgiving including “in everything give thanks.”

Someone asked me this year what I had to be thankful for and I was able to list many items including:

—This job at the Daily News and my co-workers. I have enjoyed my work here and am thankful for the opportunity to further my career and continue to be challenged every day.

—My husband of 16 years. He’s my best friend, my supporter, my encourager, my confidante, he makes me laugh and he is a wonderful cook.

—Our two dogs who bring joy and laughter to my life. Even on the worst days they can bring joy to my heart and make me smile and remind me life is good.

—Our two outdoor cats. While we adopted them primarily to help with the mice population they’ve been a joy to have around and I look forward to seeing them each day.

—Having a home to go to every day and this year I’m especially thankful to just have one home as our home in Laramie finally sold this year and the one in Basin sold quickly.

—For meat in the freezer and food in the pantry.

—For a reliable vehicle to get me to and from work.

—For wonderful friends I can share my life with in person, via Facebook, via the telephone.

—For technology that allows me to keep in touch with friends and family.

This is not an exhaustive list but it does show I have much to be thankful this year and every year.

I hope you took time to count your blessings this week and you were able to come up with a huge list as well.

Thankful for letter writers who help me grow as an editor

I’m also thankful for readers who like to use this forum to voice a variety of opinions. I enjoy reading what’s on people’s minds and their views on different topics.

Readers also challenge me and my decisions and I appreciate it. This past week I published a letter that was over the stated 350-word limit, and two devout readers called that into question.

I had someone tell me no matter what decision you make as an editor, be able to defend it. Well, to start when I arrived in March a letter to the editor policy was already in place. While I knew the policy said no more than 350 words, in other newspapers I have worked the word limit was always “suggested,” giving the editor some discretion.

I have used that discretion with a few other letters since becoming the editor of the Daily News, but they were not as long though. My thought process has always been, as long as the person is not repetitive and there is sufficient room on the page, and as long as the letter doesn’t get too long, I’ve waived the limit.

But in considering this along with the comments from our readers, I will be enforcing the word limit, but still reserving the ability as editor to waive that limit when certain circumstances warrant it — not just if there is space available.

If a letter is over the 350-word limit it will be returned to the letter writer to shorten. I prefer the author of the letter make those edits than myself.

Thank you for your understanding as I continue to grow and learn as editor of the Daily News.