Thankful

This month, I’ve been musing on that which makes me grateful, inspired in part by friends who are participating in Facebook’s 30 Days of Thankful campaign, where users post daily, sharing insight into what gets them through: Friends. Family. Shelter. Jobs. Health care. Pets. Chocolate and red wine.

I'm thankful, too, for all of those things.

I'm also grateful for this job.

For my co-editor Nick Miller and his boundless energy and ideas. For our copy editor Shoka and her smart eye for detail and sandpaper-dry humor. For our talented calendar editor Jonathan Mendick and his quiet demeanor that hides a bloodthirsty ping-pong player. For Raheem F. Hosseini, whose passion for a good story has, perhaps, resulted in a few heated but ultimately valuable conversations. For Kel Munger, who holds myriad titles but none that do her enthusiasm, talent or insight justice. For our proofreader Deena Drewis, who has quickly become an invaluable asset to the team for her thoughtful questions. For our newest staff member Dave Kempa, who, in addition to being a sharp reporter, is here via a grant from Sacramento Emergency Foodlink. Foodlink is the official food bank of Sacramento County, and those funds ensure he can write about social safety-net issues—accessibility to food, shelter, health care, education, etc.

Each of these persons—not to mention the rest of the people who help put out this paper weekly—make this job productive, rewarding and fun.

They make it feel like home.

OK, enough with the sappy stuff: Read on, eat some pie and enjoy a happy, peaceful Thanksgiving.