To the editor:

This time of the year it is helpful to slow down and realize all that there is to be thankful for.

I would like to take a few minutes to express my gratitude to countless, often underappreciated people, without whom many things that we take for granted would disappear.

These include plow drivers, emergency services personnel (EMS, fire, police, forest rangers), health care providers, small local business owners, teachers, municipal leaders, coaches, referees, janitors, HVAC contractors, electric utility workers, social services workers, etc.

Some of these people go to work with the sole purpose of serving others; some of them risk their lives for people they don’t know; some work long hours giving up time with family to build something for their community; many of them are verbally and physically abused by the very people they are helping. But most, including those I forget to mention, do their work with integrity and a smile. Thank you for your role keeping our communities running smoothly and safely.

Jennifer Perry

Gabriels