Thanksgiving Message
We’ve already experienced some winter weather and now the holiday season is upon us.
As I sit here drinking a cup of coffee on Saturday morning, I’m thinking about Thanksgiving later this week and all the things I am thankful for.
Each and every day I am thankful you allow me to serve as your Sheriff. There are few professions where your day can change from mundane to chaos in a second while also having the opportunity to help the people in our community. I am blessed that you all have given me that honor. I am also fortunate to be surrounded every day by incredible public service professionals who share my commitment to making this county safer and stronger.
Unfortunately not everyone will be celebrating Thanksgiving at home with their loved ones. Our courageous military, and their families, all of whom sacrifice so much for the rest of us, will be working to continue to protect and defend our nation and our freedoms. Their service, their sacrifice, is nothing short of amazing and like many of you; I pray each day for them.
And to be honest, despite all the mailers and television commercials that inundated everyone last month, I am thankful that this was an election year. I am thankful because it was an opportunity for all of us to have serious discussions about the future of our county, state and country and then make a choice on who we believed was best take us in that direction. I am incredibly grateful for those who step forward, putting their ideas, themselves (and their families) out there to be judged and critiqued. They do so because they have a passion for service and a desire to make things better for all of us. Through their willingness to serve, they allow us to maintain our representative form of government. I congratulate all those who were elected and re-elected and pray for them, as well, that they will make wise and prudent decisions.
Finally, I am thankful that Cherokee County is my home. I’ve said it many times, but it continues to be true, that for me, the best thing about this county is the people. There may be serious disagreements from time to time on certain issues, but my hope is that those differences can be expressed respectfully with the understanding that what joins us together is stronger than what separates us. We see it all the time when one of our neighbors suffer a tragedy, whether it be an illness, fire, tornado, or any other type of major hurdle. We band together and help each other out. As I write this, I’m thinking about a quote from Abraham Lincoln. The quote is, “I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.”
This Thanksgiving, I hope you all will take time to remember our soldiers and local public safety professionals who will be working the holidays. I hope you all have the time to reflect upon what you are thankful for. I hope that you are all safe. I hope that you all are able to spend quality time with those you love and remember those who are no longer here. And, I hope that you all feel the peace and joy of the holiday season.
If all that happens, I will be truly thankful.
God Bless,
Sheriff David M. Groves