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Residents upbeat about giving thanks

Danie Harrelson

— Thanksgiving 2001 comes at a time when people might struggle to find reasons to be thankful.

A depressed economy and national psyche riddled with insecurity might lead some to lament better days, but many Steamboat Springs residents agree Americans have just as much reason to be thankful this year as they did last year if not more.

Present circumstances are no excuse to dismiss a national day of thanks, said Amy Garris, front desk manager for the Hotel Bristol.



“A lot has happened, but it should make us re-evaluate what is really worth our thanks this year,” she said.

As Steamboat businesses deal with the strain of lost revenue and people wonder when the tide will turn, comfort remains in knowing Steamboat’s situation could be worse, Garris said.



That is reason enough to be thankful, she added.

“We are so blessed to live here,” she said. “We are so isolated from so much of what is going on in the East.”

Sherill McMahon, a deli clerk at Safeway, agreed people from Steamboat Springs are somewhat removed from the effects of Sept. 11.

“That means we have much to be thankful for,” she said.

As she takes orders for Thanksgiving platters, she said, she understands how little people in the United States appreciate their good fortune.

People may need to sift through more of the bad to find the good this year, but the good still merits their gratitude, she said.

“Some may say we’re down and out, but I say this Thanksgiving we can’t help but be grateful for all that is ours,” she said.

The Rev. Larry Oman of the United Methodist Church of Steamboat Springs said he was encouraged that people have found reason to be grateful at a time that might otherwise be viewed with speculation and doubt.

“It’s the realization that even with uncertainties, we really have a lot to be thankful for, especially in our setting,” he said.

When all things taken for granted are stripped away, he said, people realize the value of life’s small joys.

People should measure their gratitude this year by what they still have and not by what they have lost, said Pam Albrecht, owner of Albrecht’s Bakery and Caf
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the intermingled smells of rolls, pies and pastries that customarily fill Albrecht’s Bakery and Cafill swell as Albrecht fills more than 150 pie orders for Thanksgiving.

It’s an unmistakable sign that people still plan to gather together for a time of remembering all the good things in their lives, she said.

Thanksgiving Day serves as an opportunity for family and friends to appreciate each other, Albrecht said.

“Yes, we can’t avoid taking into account what has happened,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean we forget about the people who are in our lives.”


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