The two most missing words during the political season

[medic5740]

With two sides to every political situation, there is a lot of crap being thrown from both sides. It doesn't have to be local, or state, or national. It's everywhere.

While we don't agree with some others about a political view, I still believe the values that I was taught when growing up, and the values that I taught while a teacher here on Beaver Island. These values need to be remembered and used much more frequently than they are being used right now.

I challenge you to use a positive tone of voice and say these two simple words:

THANK YOU!

when someone that you don't agree with on political issues accomplishes something good for Beaver Island.

So I am going to start the thank-you-chain.

1. Thank you to the firefighters and EMS providers who sacrifice family time to be prepared to help you when you have your emergency.

2. Thank you to the Airport Commission for making certain that the Township Airport has completed the safety requirements of the FAA and the Aeronautics Commission. Thank you for all of your accomplishments over the last thirty years.

3. Thank you to Kathy Speck for her desire and her work to put on a Christmas Cantata every December.

4. Thank you to the Beaver Island public for making this community safe for our children to walk around on any day of the year, but particularly on Halloween.

5. Thank you to all our news services, whether printed or electronic, for providing us information which allows us to form an opinion. Thank you for your editorials, whether I agree with them or not.

I challenge you to come up with at least five "thank-you's" and that challenge includes you posting them on this forum, because there is plenty of negativity here, and I think it's time for something positive.

Joe Moore

[Eileen Woolford-Ballard]

1) Thank you for our Road Crew for keeping the roads manicured, you do such a fantastic job every day!

2) Thank you to the volunteers at the resale shop, who give us such a cheerful hello and shopping experience at every visit. They are truly unique in comparison to second hand stores everywhere.

3) Thank you the restaurants and shops that stay open all winter long, you give us somewhere to find entertainment and company in the long cold days...

4) Thank you to our Medical Center staff and our Dentist, we are fortunate that they choose to practice for us!

5) And Finally THANK YOU to the people of this Island, with their heartfelt gratitude for one another... they Hug you when you need it, Show up when you need them, Pray for you, support you , and wave at you on the road... There no place like it anywhere!

[Andy's Grooming Barn]

1) Thank you Joe for coming up with such a great idea!

2) Thank you to all the volunteers whether it is EMS, Fire, wildlife clubs, boards they are on, commissions they are on, it is all of you that make this island really work.

3) Thank you to the wonderful school staff we have that cares so much about our kids on the island

4) Thank you to all the many, many people that called and stopped by helping me try to find Larry's cat Velvet I truly appreciate it.

5) Thank you to the people that every day give me a smile or warm greeting, that does more than you will ever realize.

[Sheri Timsak]

1) Thank you to the wonderful Great Lakes Energy crew that go out in the most terrible weather to keep our nights brighter and our lives simpler.
2) Thank you to our hard working EMS and Fire Fighters, who with compassion and caring make our worst situations more tolerable, and to the people that pitch in and help out when a tragedy occurs.
3) Thank you to our teachers who past and present, have always been available to their students.
4) Thank you to the businesses here that always have a friendly face and smile to make your day.
5) Thank you to the many people that visit and live here that respect and love this island paradise and who make this such a safe and wonderful place to raise children.

[Marilyn Racine]

THANK YOU BIRHC & EMS Staff. Having been on the receiving end of your care, we truly appreciate all you do.
THANK YOU JEFF POWERS & ANDI KOHL. You both have shown great care, kindness, and compassion to us and our pets over the years.
THANK YOU HOSPICE of BI. Your caring service to the people in need of your support is very heartfelt.
THANK YOU BI FIRE DEPT. Your quick response and help, has been very much appreciated.
THANK YOU for the TERRIFIC service at the BI TRANSFER STATION & POST OFFICE.
THANK YOU BI BOAT CO., ISLAND AIRWAYS & FRESH AIR AVIATION.
Your services are greatly appreciated.
We are grateful for the smiles we see daily.
Thank you Beaver Islanders...Sincerely, Marilyn & Liam

[Kathy Speck]

Thank you, Joe, for providing your own website to so many individuals and organizations as a way of getting out a lot of news to the public. Also thank you, Joe, for your kind words about me personally, but I am only one of a large group of people who have also worked for many years to present the Christmas Cantata to the Beaver Island Community. Although I have said it many times over the years, thank you again to all of those people who give from their hearts for this wonderful gift to the community.
Thank you to those who donâ??t always believe everything they read either on the forum or mail they receive as â??fact.â?￾
I also agree that a big thank-you is owed to our EMS, Fire Department and others who sacrifice valuable family time but also leave their jobs when there is an emergency.
Thank you to my friends and people in the community that I have worked with for the last 35 years for allowing me to be who I am and not attacking me or bullying me for something I may say that they donâ??t agree with.
And thank you to all who have posted so far; they are all very, very good comments.

[MR]

Thank you to those who give monetary and food donations to our food pantry...without this generosity, it would not exist.

Thank you to the volunteers that organize and help with St. Patrick's Day, the Bite of Beaver/Boodle and the Fourth of July. These activities are so much work and your time and energy is appreciated.

Thank you to all emergency service volunteers--you are essential to our community.

Thank you to those running and donating to the BI Animal Fund to provide care for animals in need.

And finally, thank you to all of the kind and open-minded people of this community who have offered love and support to Danielle and I throughout the years!

Miranda

[Trish Scott]

Joe, great idea!!!

1. Thank you to all the Islanders that have welcomed Steve and I into your warm and wonderful community. We first fell in love with the natural beauty and then with so many of you that are "salt of the earth" kind of people. You value people for who they are, not what they look like or what they do for a livng, but for what is in their hearts.

2. Since we live at the south end, every time we drive up or down the island, we are always grateful for the hard-working road crew. Thank you for scraping the roads, adding gravel and taking care of downed trees.

3. Thank you to all that make the island habitable; including all of the emergency response and medical center personnel. They are all true heroes. Also the proprietors of the many fine businesses that allow us to dine, buy groceries, fill up and wash our vehicles, buy hardware, etc., It takes a lot of hard working people to provide an infrastructure. It is especially appreciated in the summer when so many work so many hours while tourists, summer folk and retirees enjoy themselves.

4. Thank you to Beaver Island Community School staff for giving all of us a community rallying point. We are so very proud of the commitment and dedication that makes BICS a top gem in the state. All of the community that supports the school in so many ways are also integral in its success. It is a thing of beauty!!

5. Thank you to all that strive to protect the natural environment. This includes the Loon Rangers, walleye stockers, Transfer Station employees, phragmites eradicators, recyclers, CMU Biological Station staff and students.

I have not exhausted my list of things for which I am grateful.

Peace Out!

Trish Scott

[nancyls35@hotmail.com]

Ditto to ALL of the above and:

1) I am thankful for a community that waves to each other as we drive by, even if we can't quite see who's driving.

2) I am thankful for Michelle coming out of the retirement she was so looking forward to in order to keep postal service on Beaver Island until a permanent replacement was found.

3) I am thankful to the BI Boat Company staff that is always willing to help load and unload heavy deliveries.

4) I am thankful for a family-owned grocery store that will let you in for that one thing you forgot and really need even after they put up the closed sign.

5) I am thankful for people who run for an office on Beaver Island, who are willing to put their time and effort into something they believe in and not just talk, complain, and criticize.

I have to take the liberty to say #6 - I am so thankful for my sister Kathy who is the most loving and generous person I know. Love you for all you do for Beaver Island Sis.

[cindyr]

Thank You to all of the worthy groups already mentioned, and these few individuals:
Thank you Mary Rose Scholl for sharing your beautiful world with all of us.
Thank you, Carol LaFreniere, for taking such good care of my daughters so many years ago, and for still making them feel like they are a part of your family.
Thank you, Ed Palmer, for bringing the music that defines our island.
Thank you, Don Cole, for the old stories you remember.
Thank you, Katherine Ricksgers, for a grand example of living independently.
Thank you, Rose Connaghan, for being a perfect example of grace through adversity.
And, since I've already gone over the limit, thanks to Eric and Dana Hodgson, for keeping me employed.

[Avandyke]

Thank you to Phyllis and Barbara for offering a warm and welcoming place in which to hang out and read on winter afternoons. They get to be first since Joe started the thread.

Thank you to Cindy and Michelle for helping load, packages, carry packages, and opening doors of cars when arms are full of said packages.

Thanks to Pam for putting us through our exercise paces at the community center with patience and good humor.

Thanks to the ducks and turkeys crossing the road and bringing a few cars to a halt; a gentle comparison to rush hour traffic on the beltway.

Thanks for the sight of happy families wandering around in the summer. A reminder for a retiree of when a week or two here was the chosen payoff for a year of working and the result of careful vacation planning and saving.

Thanks to a community where the above are merely a few examples of many daily generosities (well, maybe not the turkeys).

[jacquel]

My thank yous-- many of which were already mentioned...
1. EMS and emergency personnel who responded when Dan had his accident. In such a scarey situation you all helped to alleviate our fears and make things run smoothly as we transitioned from ambulance to plane, back to ambulance and then hospital.
2. Thank you to Jeff Powers, our angel of mercy, who is willing to make those difficult house calls to send our pets to pet heaven in the least stressful situations as possible.
3. The post mistress, Michelle Dreffs, for coming out of retirement to keep working until a new postal worker can be found. The post office is very important to keep us in touch with the "real world" (and get our bills out in time!).
4.ALL Volunteers, but especially those working diligently on the NRESC. Their all day meetings they happily attend must be grueling at times!
5. To Aunt Helen and Uncle Lawrence who enrich our lives with their stories of the past!
We love you all!

[LisaG]

Things that I am thankful for:

#1 That I live on Beaver Island where people come to your aid even when you don't ask for help.

#2. That people are willing to pitch in and help with commitees, boards, public productions, and everything else to help life on
the Island run smoothly.

#3. That even when the election is over, people with different ideas and opinoins can live on a small Island and not resort to violence.

#4. We can post our ideas without threat of someone hurting or shooting us for expressing our thoughts that may differ from others.

#5. That I can think of at least 120 other reason why I am thankful and some people are lucky to think of only 5.

[medic5740]

There is no reason that you can't post more than once. I'm surely very happy to see these positive things being posted here.

1. Thank you to all the currently elected officials for doing their best to move Beaver Island forward.

2. Thank you to those that are running for election or re-election. You are very special people.

3. Thank you to the caring staff, faculty, and administration of the school for an excellent morning of professional development on Friday!

4. Thank you to the Transfer Station manager and staff for their help getting the island cleaned up.

5. Thank you to the Charlevoix County COA for their help to Beaver Island seniors

6. Thank you to the BIRHC staff for all the things that you do that most people don't know about.

There is no reason that you can't think of lots more and post them.

[Andy's Grooming Barn]

I agree with Joe we can keep this going.

1) Thank you to everyone that comes up with different activites on the island for us all to be able to get together....especially in the winter

2) Thank you to the many great customers that I have had through all of these years of buisness, many of you I have gotten to know just because you have a dog.

3) Thank you to the community center for all the things they have going on for the adults but most of all for providing much needed activites for the kids.

4) Thank you to the Burton family, the Neihauses and others that helped for continuing to turn the boat shop into a haunted house in Bill's memory, he would have LOVED that.

5) Thank you to Matt Fogg, the boat company and airlines to continue to keep us connected to the mainland, whether it is taking us, our family and friends, or items we need to make us more comfortable back and forth to the mainland you all do it very well.