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November 2012


Thanksgiving Memories


The month of November is truly a time to give thanks. We celebrate Veterans Day on November 11th and Thanksgiving on November 22nd this year. These two holidays remind us all that we have a lot to be thankful for in our lives.


I am thankful for so many things, but I have been thinking about how thankful I am for all of the people that have had a part in my life. These wonderful people were not the famous people or celebrities of our time, but they were the ordinary people who infl uenced my life as I lived each day. Many of these people I loved and knew all my life and others I never met or knew them for a short time. Of course, I am so thankful for my family. My mother and father, who are deceased, sacrifi ced so much for “us kids”. We were poor by most standards, but I don’t remember dwelling on that too much. We were thankful for what we had but we knew that others had less and we needed to share when we could. I re- member the family reunions from both my mom’s and dad’s sides of the families. The only problem was that it seemed that we didn’t all come together until some- one died!


My brother and sisters were all special parts of my life. Yet we all began to drift apart as they had their own kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. My three sisters were 15-17 years older than me and my brother was fi ve years older, so it seemed that my parents raised three girls and then raised two boys! I remember the Thanksgivings with all my sisters, brother, nieces and nephews. Everyone brought food and I believe that is when my current stage of obesity began. I don’t think I ever beat my dad in dominos my entire life, but there was always some serious domino games taking place! Looking back, I am so thankful for that family time. I realize that many families did not have those opportunities.


I am so thankful today for my wife. She has put up with me for 39 years! You would think that someone as highly educated and smart as she was could have done better than me, but she has stuck around! She has been the love of my life and my best friend. My two boys have always been my pride and joy. As a Dad, I made a lot of mistakes, but I have been blessed by watching them mature and grow into men.


by Mike R. Hagy


I am so proud of them (and my new daughter-in-law as well)!


There were also many “ordinary” people that were a large part of my life at different times. My Sunday school teachers and my elementary school teachers had a tremendous infl uence on my faith and educa- tion. I remember an 8th grade teacher in Grandfi eld, Mrs. Hartsell, who taught us how to speed read with comprehension. She taught me a skill I have used every day since.


In Frederick Schools Miss Hall and Mrs. Waldrop taught me how to write – I still write everything today based on their instruction!


There were coaches that taught me physical dis- cipline and that success requires sacrifi ce! A Drill Sergeant and TAC Offi cer in Offi cer Candidate School instilled in me that you can only lead people by integ- rity – not decree. There were friends who were there for me when there was no one else.


I am also thankful for many of those “ordinary” peo- ple that I never had the chance to meet. Those young men who lay face down in the sand on Omaha Beach gasping their last breaths so that I could be born in a free nation. Or those young men and women whose last gaze looked upon the jungles of Vietnam or the sand and rocky terrain of Iraq and Afghanistan so that I could gaze on another early morning sunrise. Those ordinary people who became the doctors, pastors, teachers, and leaders that infl uenced my life without ever knowing that they had done so. Truly, I have been blessed by God! Yes, there have been low points and bitter disappointments in my life, but I am so blessed to live in this country! In this sea- son of Thanksgiving, I hope that my contribution as an “ordinary” person may have helped someone else somewhere at sometime!


Thank you for allowing me and the employees of Southwest Rural to serve you through our vision of safety, service, and satisfaction – one member at a time. Happy Thanksgiving and may God Bless You and Your Family!


Holiday Closing


SWRE offi ces will be closed for Thanksgiving Holidays on Thursday, November 22, and Friday, November 23. As always, service calls will be answered on those days. Members may call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to report outages. 1-800-256-7973


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