Reasons for being thankful

    While some area residents will celebrate Thanksgiving in the comfort of their own homes, many of them will hit the road to visit friends and family. A few folks are even traveling out of state for their holiday engagements.

    Neal Conry, who was raised in Fairfield and now lives in Ainsworth, is going to visit friends in Columbia, Mo. Conry said he expects to spend nearly four hours behind the wheel.

    ?It?s been a long time since we?ve been there,? said Conry. ?We?re visiting friends of ours who used to live in Iowa City. They invited us for Thanksgiving this year and my wife and I decided to go.?

    Conry said he and his family normally celebrate Thanksgiving in the area but this year will be different.

    ?Generally, the family gets together and we have a dinner on Thanksgiving Day,? said Conry. ?We?re breaking tradition by going down to our friends? house for Thanksgiving.?

    In light of the recent recession, Conry said that he?s happy to have a source of income.

    ?I?m thankful for my health and my family,? he said. ?It?s nice to have a good job. I?m fortunate to be employed when a lot of people are not.?

    Roger Zehr is from Peoria, Ill. and a frequent visitor to Washington. He said he comes to town every other week to do business. This year, he is hosting Thanksgiving dinner.

    ?We?re having all the kids come to our house in Peoria for Thanksgiving,? said Zehr. ?After Thanksgiving, we get together with my side of the family in my hometown of Fairbury, Ill. We talk and eat and enjoy each other?s company.?

    Bessie Robins, from Washington, said she has already celebrated Thanksgiving with her family. She said her family celebrates the holiday over the weekend because she has relatives who have to drive from Wisconsin.

    Fortunately for Robins, the farthest she had to drive last weekend was to the north end of Iowa Avenue where her son Larry Fisher lives. She said it has become a family tradition to celebrate Thanksgiving at his house. She added that she has a lot to be thankful for.

    ?I?m thankful just to be able to walk and be alive because I just turned 87 on Friday,? said Robins. ?I told my sister Ruth that we have to be thankful that we have a place to live and that we?re able to get up and go.?

    Ruth Carr, Robins? sister, said the two of them will try to find a restaurant that stays open for Thanksgiving. She said she and her sister, along with their other five siblings, always had wonderful Thanksgiving dinners when they were growing up. Carr often spends the holidays with her children, but this year will be different because her kids are either too busy or they live too far away.

    ?One of my daughters is working and another daughter lives in Georgia,? said Carr.

    Carr made the trip to see her daughter in Georgia last Christmas, so she is by no means a stranger to travel.

    ?I stayed in Georgia for a month and a half over the winter and you didn?t need a coat,? she recalled. ?It felt like summer to us. We had a really good time.?

    Even though Carr won?t be able to see her daughters this Thanksgiving, her sister reminded her that there are many reasons to be grateful for what they have.

For the full story, see the Nov. 24 edition of the Washington Evening Journal