Message from the Mayor: Thanksgiving Message
Posted on: November 21, 2018 - 11:56pm
Fellow Residents,
Thanksgiving is upon us, a favorite and very American moment in the calendar, where we gather to appreciate company and the good fortune that blesses us. It’s a moment to step away from the whirl of the everyday, the rancor of the news, the concerns that dominate the mind – to take a breath, and appreciate.
Tuesday night, the 29th annual Project Share Thanksgiving Dinner brought hundreds of homeless to the Cochran gym at the High School, where they were warmly welcomed by scores of student volunteers and adults and provided with a full Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a highlight of the year for me: I especially enjoy the moment when it comes time to serve pies, and we’re cutting and others are squirting whipped cream; although it’s frantic, somehow over a hundred pies get sliced and placed before all the guests. This one was even more special than others, as I had the tremendous honor of performing the wedding vows during this dinner, joining the two remarkable individuals who successfully pull it off every year, Jeanne Newman and Rob Wyatt, in matrimony. It was a surprise for most everyone in the gym and a beautiful moment that most there will never forget. I’m awfully grateful for that.
What I return to, time and again, in these moments of annual thankful contemplation is the role of the many volunteers who make this village what it is, day in and day out. Free of rancor, hearts full of generosity and hope and belief in the value of reaching beyond themselves, hundreds of people step beyond the confines of their lives and give, binding the community with the grace of their devotion and time. This point in the year is full of examples around us: the toy drives run by various groups and people, the Alternate Gift fair, the efforts to share our bounty with the hungry and displaced.
There are moments, too many to enumerate fully, throughout the year as well: the group of residents that came together to help put up the Uniontown Playground over a couple of weekends; the homeless pantry kept stocked by resident donations; the Little League run by dedicated parents; the Mother’s Club with their various events; the Fire Department and Ambulance Corps staffed entirely by volunteers, who go beyond every day; the many Village Boards and Committees who engage on all the issues before the village; those who serve on the School Board and contend with issues of deep import to our children; those who work on behalf of the Library; those volunteers who work through their houses of worship to offer solace and service; and I know there are so many I missed that do so much more. Hundreds engaged in the poetry of community. Life and community are most richly lived and engaged away from the screens and seductive distractions that consume too much of our time and mind space. Hastings remains a place where people come together, the quintessential small town where people believe that the work of community is worth the labor.
Every year I am here, I am reminded of that which goes beyond wealth and good fortune, and lies in the efforts that keep us thriving and connected. For that, I am truly thankful.
I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Peter Swiderski