Giving Thanks; Shopping Small

Dear Friend,

Once again, we enter a season of thankfulness. It’s a reminder to stop and pause to reflect on what is most important to us and the blessings that God has given us.

Some years that’s easier than others. It’s one of the reasons why I’m glad that Thanksgiving is on the calendar. While we shouldn’t relegate being thankful to one day, it does serve as a chance to intentionally take time to remember the ways in which we have been provided for and taken care of. It’s not always in the way we wish, want, or expect, but given the opportunity to walk through another year of life, we should be thankful nonetheless.

As we approach Christmas and start to think about what gifts we hope to put under the tree, we continue to see and feel the effects of the supply chain crisis. We’ve been told to place our online orders immediately to make sure everything gets here in time for Christmas, though it might be Easter at the rate things seem to be going. Certainly, brick and mortar stores aren’t immune from supply chain issues. However, this year is a great year to walk into that store you love or the one you’ve always thought about checking out and seeing what they might have on the shelf.

To highlight doing some of our shopping locally, this Saturday is once again Small Business Saturday, a chance to “shop small” and support our friends and neighbors who support us. I’m thankful for the many entrepreneurs and small business owners who pour every ounce of their time, energy and resources to make a business go. We all know the last 18 plus months set our small businesses back and took many of them out in the process. This would be a great chance to keep our friends and neighbors going for another year so our towns can continue to flourish in North Missouri.

After all, the joy of the season isn’t solely about what gets left under the tree, but about the family surrounding it and all those folks in our community that have done so much for us. While we certainly shouldn’t lower our expectations because of the mess that’s been created in Washington, we shouldn’t let that get in the way of what this time of year is really all about.

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Sam Graves