Editorial: Elves and Gratitude

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We have one rule when we write the editorial each week. The editorial must relate to Greenwich. You probably will not see a commentary here on international relations, unless someone from Greenwich is involved and shares a unique perspective.

The reason for the Greenwich centric focus is simple. There is so much about our community that deserves the 650 words of focus that we allot for our editorials. We have written about our first responders and veterans. We have written about what a great job our department of public works does during the snow storms and we write about politics, here and in Hartford, and how it affects us as a community. 

We have a jar of editorial ideas to tap into when writer’s block sets in. Lucky for us, there continues to be many great things to write about and we have not had to unseal the jar.

This week, we want to recognize the elves that have been very busy on Greenwich Avenue. A group of individuals and business have been working very hard to ensure we have holiday lights on Greenwich Avenue for December. In case you did not know, the Avenue was in danger of being without its traditional holiday lights unless new leadership could be found to organize and oversee the effort.

Those elves have been found. They were able to secure support from the business community, including Richard’s Betteridge, Shreve, Crump & Low, Ferari Associates and many others and as well as private citizens such Peter and Isabel Malkin and Scott and Icy Frantz. While the elves do not seek the recognition, we do need to thank Alyssa Keleshian Bonomo and Rick Krall for stepping in to lead this effort. They help make our town a community and give back for the betterment of all. We are very grateful.

Gratitude is not necessarily something that a lot of newspapers think about or write about, but we do — a lot. If our mission is to help strengthen our community, celebrate what is good and help build up that which needs strengthening, it is hard not to. When we see something positive that impacts our community, we want to celebrate it and share it with the community.

Nineteenth century American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” That sounds like good advice to us.

Being nice and expressing gratitude are a good combination, one that everyone can emulate. This combination knows no economic boundaries, is not gender-specific or dependent on time of day. It is something everyone can practice every day, all day, and if we do it will make our community truly a better place.

It turns out, being nice and grateful is not just limited to humans. In the words of A.A. Milne, from Winnie-the-Pooh: “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” Our own dogs were very grateful recently when our neighbor’s dogs, Lacy and Judy, stopped by with treats and squeaky toys to welcome them to the neighborhood. Thank you!

As we embark upon the holidays, we are thankful and grateful to the many people and businesses that came together to ensure a festive shopping district. We want to take a lesson from their effort, that of giving to others of giving back to our community.

There are many festive events occurring throughout our town over the next month. We are looking forward to attending as many as we can. It is that special time of year when our entire town comes together as a community. We are thankful and grateful for everyone who works so hard to make these events a success.

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