You provide me with an attitude of gratitude

My mind wandered in many directions (more so than normal) last week as I sat down for Thanksgiving dinner with my family. My mother asked each of us what we were most thankful for over the past year.
For the first time ever, thankfulness centered on something that has become a common household word over the past eight months: coronavirus. Of course, I’m extremely thankful for my health. I have avoided COVID-19 to this point and hope to continue doing so not necessarily for my sake but for those around me.
Beyond health, another big thing on my thankful list is the fact that I still have a business to operate after a tumultuous year for small businesses in light of the pandemic. In many ways, I feel like I have been sucker punched over and over with trying to keep the newspaper going in the right direction. It hasn’t been easy, but then what is in this life?
I am grateful for the readers of this newspaper. Within the past three months, we have added more than 200 new readers. That’s the most I have ever had in such a short period of time during my 11 years of owning this newspaper. To those who have recently subscribed, thank you for trusting us to be your local source of hometown news. It’s a commitment we take very seriously.
Adding so many new readers is especially remarkable for newspapers right now as many around the country have fallen on hard times even before the pandemic hit. I feel very lucky and fortunate to be able to share something that’s in big demand. All I ask is that you spread the word and let others know about reading our paper and what they’re missing if they don’t subscribe.
And, of course, I can’t thank enough all of those loyal subscribers who have been with us for years. One in particular comes to mind. A 90-year-old man recently sent in his renewal for another year with a handwritten note sharing how much he enjoys reading the newspaper every week. In fact, he went as far to say that reading the Times is the highlight of his week and he can’t wait for it to arrive each week. To have that kind of relationship with someone I don't directly know is very gratifying.
The positivity shared by readers about the newspaper is what fuels me to continue doing this even in troubled times. It makes all the late nights and weekend work worthwhile, though I think sometimes my family maybe questions that.
If I’ve ever had any doubts about people being interested in the newspaper, all I need to do is look at the past month with the postal issues we have experienced. We have fielded call after call from readers inquiring about why the newspaper hasn’t reached them. While I don’t enjoy taking those calls, it serves as a good reminder to me about how much people value their newspaper.  
Having loyal readers has definitely put me in hot pursuit of having an attitude of gratitude this holiday season.