Thanksgiving: it’s a time to say thanks for our families, our friends, the abundance of food that crowds our tables and the other blessings we enjoy.

We slow down and enjoy each other’s company. We savor the flavors of recipes that likely have been in our families for generations. While we may indulge in too much turkey and pumpkin pie, at least our focus is on our abundance, not our lack.

Tomorrow we’ll return to our normal routines, or maybe hit some of the Black Friday sales, or visit with Santa at Christmas Comes to Kenai. But today we say thanks for all that we have.

As your community newspaper, the Clarion has much for which we are grateful, and it’s become our tradition to express those blessings to you on this day.

Chief among the things for which we give thanks are the readers and advertisers who keep us in business. Without you, we would not exist. It takes an entire community to produce a newspaper. There are countless people who help us in the task, and we are grateful for their many and varied contributions.

Among our blessings are our contributors, who share all sorts of things with our readers, from cooking tips to humor to views on the great outdoors.

We’re grateful for the talented staff here at the Clarion, who produce a newspaper six days a week.

And there’s our delivery drivers, who refuse to let rain, snow, or dark of night keep them from their rounds.

We’re fortunate to have fans, coaches and players spread throughout the Peninsula and the rest of Alaska, who help us keep track of all that’s going on in the world of sports.

We’re thankful to have elected officials — and public employees — at all levels of government, who understand an informed community is in everyone’s best interest; law enforcement and emergency service agencies, who work with us to let you know what’s going on in your neighborhood — the good and bad; and employees throughout the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, and students and parents, who keep us well-informed about the happenings in our schools.

Thanks also to those who call and email with tips — or complaints. Your calls are appreciated. They help us re-examine our idea of what “news” is and what readers want.

Thanks also to those who write letters to the editor. You provide thousands of people with food for thought with your insights and sometimes spark controversy and, hopefully, a constructive discussion of the issue.

Last, but certainly not least, on our list of blessings: We are grateful we live in a society where a free press exists. Not everyone will always like the message, but far better to disagree with ideas and information and the way they are presented than to never have the opportunity to read new ideas and others’ viewpoints.

Our heartfelt thanks to all of you who make the Clarion happen.

On this Thanksgiving Day, we hope you have much for which to be grateful.