By Jerri Glover

This year—2019 has been one for the books. Professionally I accomplished things I didn’t believe possible. Personally, I celebrated my 10th wedding anniversary with my amazing and supportive husband by realizing a dream to take an Alaskan Cruise. However, none of these hold a candle to what happened on November 8th of this year. November 8th we welcomed our beautiful granddaughter into this world. She was a beyond healthy weight and length. She has a head full of hair. She is—in this grandmother’s biased opinion—beautiful.

I hope you haven’t stopped reading before this point because I am about to get to the real point and it has nothing to do with being a bragging grandma. With this new human in my life I have so much to be thankful for beyond her and our family.

I am thankful for the Amarillo Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and their continued efforts to fight for justice and equality of ALL PERSONS.

I am thankful for the people I know who stand up for others daily. Not willing to compromise their beliefs to “go with the flow” or “not make waves”, standing on the side of all they believe to be right.

I am thankful for those who are fighting to bring awareness to the climate crisis to hopefully leave the planet in a livable state for my granddaughter and her peers.

I am thankful for those who chose to educate our children, young people and even adults because one day she will be ready to fill her young (and hopefully not so young mind) with continual learning.

I am thankful for those who work with Panhandle Breast Health to provide vital and valuable screenings to women who do not have insurance and support to those who discover they have the devastating disease, breast cancer, because one day she will need screenings, and hopefully never need treatment.

I am thankful for Have Health Clinic who provides screenings and birth control to women of the Panhandle because I want her to have the choice when she is old enough to decide WHEN AND IF she will have children.

I am thankful for publications like The Amarillo Pioneer who work to cover stories and tell the truth about things that others shy away from because telling the truth is ALWAYS important.

This year, 2019, I am THANKFUL for all this and much more. I wish you all another gratitude. May the rest of 2019 and all of 2020 find you and yours surrounded with things for which to be thankful.