STRICTLY OBSERVING: Reasons to be thankful

Every year at this time, I always like to publicly express what I’m most thankful for.  While I like to include different things each time, I can never sufficiently reiterate my eternal gratitude for the most crucial element in my life which is family and friends.  I don’t know what I would do without the loving support I receive from these wonderful people.  I am especially grateful to my parents and grandparents who have sacrificed so much of their own lives so that I may be cared for properly.  Without their undying love and dedication, I would not be able to survive. 
I am also privileged to be an active member of Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church in Wytheville, where I’m honored to serve as the director of communications.  I am grateful to the people of Mount Pleasant, who have given me the opportunity to utilize what God-given abilities I have in ways that are pleasing to Him.  It is of deep personal importance that I’m able to feel genuinely needed and that my contributions are valuable toward the greater good.  By assembling the monthly newsletter as well as handling many of the church’s public relations matters, I am thankful to have been entrusted with such responsibility and pray for my continued efficiency in these duties. 
In addition to my duties as communications director, I’ve also had the pleasure to work as co-captain of our church’s Relay for Life team.  Alongside my lifelong friend, Cindy Fields, I have had the opportunity to organize a number of fundraisers to generate revenue for this vitally important cause and look forward to the work that we will be doing in the coming year for this wonderful community event.  I would like to personally thank Cindy for her friendship and for having a faith in me to successfully coordinate this event with her.  It has been, as I’m sure it will continue to be, a truly gratifying experience.  As a whole, my experience at Mount Pleasant has been one of the most enriching of my life and I pray that I can always remain active with that church.
Similarly, I am very thankful for my activity within the community.  However, I am fully aware that none of this activity would be possible without the aid of my handicapped accessible van.  In addition to allowing me to attend social functions, having this lift-equipped van has enabled me to be a somewhat functional member of society.  Without it, that would be impossible.  I’m even more grateful for this van having recently learned that the Consumer Service Fund, the governmental fund I used to obtain the vehicle, has been eliminated from the state budget.  I pray this crucial fund will be restored so that others in my position may experience the blessings that I have.
All of my life, I have been proud to call Wytheville my home and pray that will always remain true.  I feel privileged to belong to a community that has always treated me with acceptance and respect.  I am so appreciative for the many friends I have here in for the opportunities with which Wytheville has presented me.  Writing the column that you are currently reading is one of those gifts.  Being given the chance to publicly voice myself every week to the surrounding area is an honor within itself.  On that same note, I would like to thank each of you who read this column regularly.  Each time I write an article, it is very easy to discourage myself when questioning whether or not my work is beneficial in any way.  It always seems that whenever I began to feel this way, I am approached by someone in the community who offers an approving word for what I do.  With that, I am given all the encouragement I need to continue.  To each of you who have supported and continue to support me, I offer my most sincere thanks.
I thank God for each of these blessings and the many others He has brought into my life.  I’m sure there are many of which I’m not even aware.  Nevertheless, as the time of holidays is upon us again and we reflect on our many blessings, let us all remember to be thankful and express our appreciation to those who make them possible every day of our lives rather than just this time of year.
A graduate of Wytheville Community College, Zach Cooley lives in Wytheville with his parents. Contact him at .