Gratitude

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Eighty million people on the roads and in the air this week, going somewhere else to see friends and family. That’s a lot of trouble to go through when you could just stay home and argue with strangers on the internet. Then there are those who wish they had a family to talk to and argue with. Why do we go through all these rituals?  The easy answer is gratitude – giving thanks – even if only as a reminder of an ideal.

The easy and happy origin story of Thanksgiving

that we learned in elementary school might have been a little oversimplified, and didn’t address the complexities and intercultural conflicts that are our heritage from the earliest colonial days. Tough times back then, but the story goes that the friendly Americans helped the impoverished immigrants survive and they all had a big feast. Some people nowadays get upset that the whole story of conflict and conquering isn’t taught to the little children from the start. Oh dear. America, America! You are so varied and complex. Is it any wonder that it takes effort and intention to make a successful community?  It does. Being grateful – giving thanks – for the good things in life – is an art. 

One year when our children were small we started a conversation about the idea of gratitude and why we have a fancy meal to express it. One way to look at it was that it recalled the story of how the Pilgrims and Indians celebrated a successful harvest with a big feast, with foods that everybody liked. It turned out our kids didn’t really like turkey, and the dressing was over-the-top gross to them. That year we rolled with it. “OK then, what foods make you feel thankful?” We had hamburgers, hot dogs, mixed vegetables from a freezer bag, and rainbow sherbet. That did the trick. It was a Thanksgiving to remember. 

Well, it’s not just about food, is it? 

When we look around this place where we live, we’re happy we found this Southern Gables neighborhood. We find lots of things to be grateful for. For starters, we’re close to the big-city advantages of Denver, and equally close to the mountains. More than that though, the city of Lakewood itself has great things going for it. Parks, for example. We enjoy the parks and trails around the city, such as Bear Creek Lake Park, the Bear Creek Greenbelt, and Peak View Park right around the corner from Southern Gables. All in all Lakewood has over 80 parks spread over 7,200 acres, over a quarter of the city’s area.

Lakewood promotes culture and community.

We have venues and events that showcase the arts and the heritage of the city and the region. There are the free summertime concerts on the plaza at Belmar that draw friendly crowds on summer Friday afternoons. And how about the ice rink that appears there in the winter! The Lakewood Cultural Center offers high quality performances and exhibits year round. Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park preserves and displays historical artifacts and structures of the city, and offers inexpensive outdoor summer concerts with top artists. The Cider Days Harvest Festival is an annual tradition that attracts thousands of visitors to enjoy the fall season and local produce.

Here in Southern Gables,

we’re grateful for our neighbors who help each other out in little ways like raking leaves for each other, doing a little extra snow-shoveling past their own property lines to save a neighbor the trouble once in a while, watching out for delivered mail or packages when someone is away for a few days, and generally helping each other get along. There’s socializing at summer block parties, helping with each other’s kids now and then, and enjoying walks around the neighborhood with or without canine exercise as the goal. 

In the Neighborhood Association,

we’re grateful for the neighbors who choose to pay the $20 voluntary annual dues that fund our various activities and events. In addition to Neighborhood Night Out, the newsletters, block parties, maintaining our website and the landscaping at the neighborhood entrance sign, we make end-of-year donations to selected organizations based on their benefit to the community. Last year’s recipient organizations were Joy’s Kitchen, Green Gables Elementary School Community Fund, Carmody Middle School Fundraiser, Westwoods Community Church for their community outreach, Lakewood Police Department’s Caring by Sharing Fund, and Marisol Homes. In addition, we gave donations to Chatfield Farms for their involvement in last year’s leaf composting project, and Denver Christian School for their work in raking leaves for our elderly and disabled residents.

This year’s Neighborhood Association grant recipients

will be decided at our quarterly Board meeting on December 3, 2024. If you know of a worthy organization with local impact, you may apply for a small grant (up to $500) from the Association by sending an email request to [email protected] by noon on December 2. Include the particulars of the organization, the purpose of the grant, and the amount requested.

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