Posted: Sunday, November 22, 2009 7:05 am

Difficult times serve to make us mindful and more appreciative of the blessings we enjoy but too often fail to acknowledge.

With continuing war and its resulting price in life and suffering, tough economic times and a massive tornado strike this year, this community certainly has gone through difficulties this year. Still, our blessings far, far exceed our woes.

At this time of Thanksgiving, please join me in a recounting of 59 reasons (one for each year the Good Lord has allowed me) this community should be thankful.

As always in a time of war, our thoughts and prayers first should go to those who make Thanksgiving possible.

We therefore offer a prayer of thanks yet again for those with connections to this community who have made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.

As recognized in The Post earlier this month, those who cannot be honored too much are:

Capt. Pierre E. Piche, 29, was killed when two Black Hawk helicopters crashed on Nov. 15, 2003 in Mosul, Iraqi.

1st Lt. Kenneth Michael Ballard, 26, died during a firefight with insurgents on May 30, 2004 in Najaf, Iraq.

Staff Sgt. Asbury F. Hawn II, 35, was killed by injuries sustained Aug. 14, 2005 when conducting a mounted patrol in Tuz, Iraq.

Lance Cpl. James D. “J.D.” Hirlston, 21, died Aug. 23, 2006 while conducting combat operations in Anbar Province, Iraq.

Spc. Raymond “Neal” Mitchell III, 22, was killed Jan. 6, 2007 in Baghdad.

Staff Sgt. Marcus A. Golczynski, 30, died March 27, 2007 from wounds received while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

1st Lt. Frank B. Walkup IV, 23, died June 16, 2007 from injuries sustained in Rashaad, Iraq, when an IED exploded near him during a foot patrol.

Staff Sgt. Jonathan K. Dozier, 30, died from wounds sustained by an IED explosion on Jan. 9, 2008 in Sinsil, Iraq.

1st Lt. William E. “Eric” Emmert, 36, of Fayetteville, died Feb. 24, 2009 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds suffered when he was shot while participating in a local Iraqi Police function.

Spc. Corey Kowall, 20, died Sept. 20, 2009 responding to a call to assist a convoy that had encountered an IED in Afghanistan.

Spc. Russell “Shane” Hercules Jr., 22, was killed Oct. 1, 2009 from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire in Wardak province, Afghanistan.

Lance Cpl. Justin Kyle Lewter, age 20 of Camp Pendleton Calif., died earlier this month from injuries sustained from an automobile accident. He was a veteran of the Iraq War.

We give thanks for all our veterans of all services, all ages, for standing in our defense and all that we enjoy in this greatest of nations.

We are thankful this year for the Exchange Club and the Herculean efforts of Don Wright in the Memorial Day Field of Remembrance flag program that made the observance so much more meaningful for so many.

Thanksgiving is offered for those who remember our veterans, our war dead and all those who serve, not only on appropriate holidays, but also in programs designed specifically to recognize those who go above and beyond.

We are thankful for the rightful recognition given this year to the tireless efforts of Dr. Liz Rhea whose time and talents have assisted innumerable public service agencies in our community.

We are thankful the YMCA is recognizing the broad service and support Kitty Murfree has provided so many.

Thanks are offered that the Books From Birth program, a blessing itself, chose to honor rightfully the community service of retired pediatricians Drs. Charles Lewis, Andy Brown, Jerry Campbell, John Dixon and James Garrison and Charles Lewis.

•••

We offer heartfelt thanks for the amazing response of this community across the board to the devastating Good Friday Tornado that almost literally crossed our large county, including but hardly limited to:

• The memory of a young, loving mother and her precious newborn,

• Those who were injured but survived,

• The leadership of Murfreesboro City Manager Rob Lyons,

• Emergency responders of all stripes and units who reacted courageously, incredibly and passionately,

• Sheriff’s detective Jason Mathis who gathered people into an office building closet ion Thompson Lane and kept them from harm’s way,

•Sheriff’s detective Steve Brown and Deputy Jack Keisling who rescued a father and daughter from a collapsed house,

• Murfreesboro Police Officer Scott Baker who rescued a child from a damaged home

• Any number of other unsung heroes that day and the days after,

• Cliff Sharp from Greenhouse Ministries for his help supplying the needs of those affected by the tornado,

• Linebaugh Library for providing a repository of lost and small artifacts,

• Church, civic and just plain folk who showed up to help, and

• The huge outpouring of help and donations.

•••

Economic difficulties make us even more thankful for the investment in future jobs to result from Nissan’s decision to build electric cars at its Smyrna facility.

We are grateful for Paul Latture and his immense resources and experience coming on board with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce as president.

We offer thanks for the long, long service to this community of Mullins Jewelry that will soon end its longtime presence on our downtown square.

For leadership in moving our housing industry to a more environmentally friendly green process we are thankful for Swanson Realty and Construction Co.

We are thankful that a successful businessman such as Brian Hercules was willing to follow his heart and accept the executive director position of United Ways of Rutherford and Cannon Counties at such a challenging time.

We give thanks for Andrew Oppmann’s service of campaign chairman for United Way this season.

This community is most thankful to the leadership of Pat Murphy and his entire General Mills crew who have stepped up as a gigantic contributor to United Way at a time of its most pressing need.

We give thanks for businessmen such as Wade Hays who immediately upon winning the Boys and Girls Club’s reverse raffle at HolidayFest last weekend gave the $10,000 prize back to the club for its capital campaign.

And, we are thankful for Chuck Farrar who seemed to be on hand 24 hours a day to oversee rebuilding of the club’s damaged facility on Jones Boulevard when it was hit by a smaller tornado two weeks prior to the Good Friday Tornado.

And, thanks are offered for the commitment to overseeing the significant engineering needs resulting from that damage by Steve Steele at a time he was helping to recover from having his own business headquarters destroyed.

•••

In a time when childhood obesity is a deplorable and frightening plague, we give thanks for:

Soccer moms,

Baseball moms,

Softball moms,

Tennis moms,

Cross country/track moms,

Volleyball moms,

Wrestling moms,

Football moms,

Bowling moms,

Golf moms and

Cheerleading moms who help promote an active lifestyle for youth.

•••

We remain thankful that Middle Tennessee women’s basketball coach Rick Insell, just as he promised a few years ago when taking the job, keeps raising the bar every year for the Lady Raider team.

We are thankful Raider football coach Rick Stockstill continues to show good grades, character and winning are not mutually exclusive.

And, we give thanks he withdrew from consideration for the open position at the University of Memphis despite a huge financial incentive.

We are thankful for another quality gentleman, baseball coach Steve Peterson, who enjoyed great success with a great group of young men last spring in winning the conference championship and faring well at the NCAA’s College World Series.

Thanksgiving is offered that Dean Hayes’ name is now officially gracing the superb track/soccer stadium at the university, recognizing a fine man and an amazing coach.

We are thankful for the long promotion of tennis by Buck Bouldin.

And, we give thanks for the new city/county tennis facility at Old Fort Park.

We are thankful for the example of team effort and commitment that produced a state football championship for Thomas McDaniel’s Oakland High team last December.

We are grateful that Rutherford County, home of the last three and four of the last five state champions, is in the hunt, yet once again, for the coveted BlueCross Bowl trophy.

We give thanks for an award-winning city Parks and Recreation Department that constantly looks to do a better job for us.

•••

For their commitment to remembering the grand legacy of iconic Scoutmaster Percy Dempsey Sr., by his many Eagle Scouts by setting a monument in his honor at Evergreen Cemetery and having the base camp at the new, exciting Latimery High Adventure Reservation named for him, we are thankful.

We give thanks for the legions of fine public educators in our community as exemplified by Siegel High School AP Honors English teacher Matthew Marlatt who recently received a $25,000 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award.

We are thankful for Kelley Anderson’s vision and dream that became the Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities (YEAH) after school hangout and educational center for teens on Maple Street.

Thanks are offered for the new exhibits at the Discovery Center that serve to just increase the value of a truly remarkable facility.

For the energy and talent Anthony "Tony" Cimino brings as the new executive director of the Murfreesboro Center for the Arts, we give thanks.

We are thankful for the efforts of a group of ministers who are trying to reclaim older city streets.

Finally, I offer heartfelt thanks to the staff, investors, advertisers and readers of The Post who almost daily encourage and empower this effort.