Editorial | Nothing but gratitude …

— by Lin McNulty, Orcas Issues Editor —

Thanksgiving. Throughout my years, the meaning of the day has fluctuated from shenanigans at the kid’s table with my brothers and cousins, through waking up early here on the West Coast to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on television, being sucked in by whatever NFL game was going on (normally, the Cowboys and the Indians), having to cook my first Thanksgiving turkey as a newly-wed, to recently foregoing the holiday trappings altogether.

Wading through these traditions and memories, however, only makes me sad, sad that those family gatherings have dwindled to nothing with the passage of time and the scattering of family, literally, from coast to coast and through transitions of political beliefs.

I am well aware that I refuse to replace those childhood memories because of their pure joy. I have convinced myself that there will never be a Thanksgiving that can compare.

But what I am left with is gratitude — nothing but gratitude — every day of my life on Orcas Island. I am grateful to be here, to live where I do on the island, to have the friends and acquaintances I have acquired during my 28 years as an islander. I am especially grateful for the things I’ve been able to do here — simply because it is Orcas Island, after all, where it is totally acceptable to try something new.

Most recently, my appreciation extends to our Orcas Issues readers and for the opportunity to have one of my favorite jobs ever. I feel an indebtedness to the amazing team of reporters we have writing for us and who share the same commitment as did Margie Doyle when she envisioned this local news site more than a decade ago.

Yet, again, it is our readers and supporters who supply the energy, enthusiasm, and funding for what we do.