50 words: Enquirer staff gives thanks
Last year for Thanksgiving weekend, The Enquirer gave staffers the chance to share what they were grateful for. Both they and readers enjoyed it so much that we’ve decided to do it again. We called it 50 words because that was the assigned length, although not everyone, ahem, followed directions.
Rick Green , president and publisher of Enquirer Media: My family and I give thanks for the incredibly warm welcome since returning to Cincinnati in March. Our first Thanksgiving in my native state and in Cincinnati in 12 years is very gratifying, made even more special by the opportunity to serve our readers, subscribers, customers and communities. On behalf of my family and our entire Enquirer Media organization, thank you.
Peter Bhatia , editor: My wife and I are thankful for the opportunity to live and work in Cincinnati. We are grateful for our new and old friends here. And I’m particularly grateful to and thankful for my Enquirer colleagues, who work incredibly hard every day to serve this community.
Byron McCauley , content coach: Faith, family and yoga. Those are the three things for which I’m most thankful Thanksgiving 2015. My Christian faith gives me hope and optimism. Having lost my mom this month, family holds special significance and prompts me to hold tight to my loved ones. Finally, practicing yoga centers when the world around me is going mad.
Amy Scalf , Boone County reporter: I’m thankful for the opportunity to share the rich traditions of Greater Cincinnati with my children: Checking out the Cincinnati skyline after walking in Devou Park, enjoying delicious chili, humming along with the Roebling Bridge and watching the best baseball team of all time. Go Reds!
Katie Vogel , engagement editor: Modah ani lefanecha: I offer thanks. Every morning begins with this prayer. Offering thanks is a miracle this year. While on my bicycle last fall, I was hit from behind by a driver. I woke in a ditch with no feeling in my feet. Now, I offer thanks for standing.
Amy Wilson , storytelling coach: I am thankful for my new amazing hometown. OK, Cincinnati is not exactly new, but it is to me. I moved here just 10 months ago and, from the first day, felt welcomed by my coworkers and embraced by a city that lives its history, loves its neighborhoods and understands its own grace.
Terry DeMio , Northern Kentucky reporter: Gritty urban meets rural within just a few miles in Northern Kentucky. It was both jarring and inviting to see when I moved here 12 years ago. What I’ve found here since then is that, wherever they live, NKY residents recognize that they have a bond. They work together to get things done. I’m thankful that I moved into a location that acts as a community.
Meg Vogel , photojournalist: I am thankful that I get to take pictures every day. It is humbling to have so many people open their doors and welcome me into their lives. I started working at The Enquirer this year, and it has been an honor to tell stories about my beautiful hometown. Despite what many think, when you have a chance to see our hometown from so many perspectives, we live in an outstanding place.
Sharon Coolidge , City Hall reporter: I grew up in Youngstown, Ohio. I’m proud to be from the steel town that’s enjoying a rebirth. But my home, the place where reporter Alex Coolidge and I are raising our 7-year-old son, Jack, is Cincinnati. I’m grateful for all it has to offer. Our weekends include the Museum Center, the zoo, and Reds and Bengals games. They’re just a 10-minute drive from home – a drive where we see our gorgeous skyline and ride alongside the majestic Ohio River. When I was growing up you visited other cities for those activities. Here, they are simply a part of life. And we appreciate it.
Jeremy Fugleberg , opinion writer: I’m thankful for hometown baseball. I fell in love with baseball years ago, but I’ve never had a chance before this year to spend time in person with a Major League team, in its ballpark. I went to as many Reds home games as I could this year. Thank you.
, development reporter: I’m thankful that there are a wide range of kid-friendly attractions here in Cincinnati. Finding something to do on weekends is easy, and as a young parent having a cultured child is important to me.
Amanda Rossmann , photojournalist: This year I am thankful to learn about the joys of motherhood. I now truly understand what unconditional love is. My husband and I might not know what we are doing 100 percent of the time but when my son, Max, looks up at me with a bright toothy grin, I know I must be doing something right.
Cara Owsley , photojournalist: I am thankful for my daughter Angel Higginbottom, 15, for her drive to excel in school and her compassionate heart. Angel speaks some Spanish and helped me connect with the children of El Salvadoran immigrants on a recent Enquirer assignment.
Amber Hunt , investigative reporter: As someone who moved around an insane amount growing up – and still has no ready answer for the simple “Where are you from” query – I’m thankful that I can give my own kiddo some stability in Cincinnati. I hope he can grow up taking it for granted.
Fatima Hussein , jobs and workplace reporter: I’m grateful to live in a country where I am free to wear my American flag bikini on the weekdays and my American flag hijab (headscarf) on the weekends. And sometimes, I do both.
Cheryl Vari , daily news coach: I am grateful for banana head and the strawberry-tongued gila monster. They bring me love, joy and huge doses of oxytocin. I am so grateful that I get to bring them up in a city that has a world-class zoo, museum and nature center. Libraries. Parks such as Devou and Smale. Schools and teachers such as those at Beechwood. I came here for work but stay here because it is home, even though I was born 8,000 miles away.
Chrissie Thompson , Ohio politics reporter: I’m thankful for democracy. I know at times it’s messy, if not infuriating. But even then, we the people have the power to change the process and the outcomes – through accountability, community activism, a conversation with a friend and even our individual vote. I’m thankful I have a voice, and you do too.
Justin Duke , audience analyst: I’m thankful for the obvious things like family, home and health. But I’m also thankful I get the chance to do work I really enjoy at a place that actually gets excited when I want to try new, crazy, dumb, fun things.
Anne Saker , health reporter: Cincinnati is the kind of place that packed the house for the funeral of my 93-year-old father at St. Susanna Catholic Church in Mason. He was not born in Greater Cincinnati. He lived most of his life in Columbus. But our friends from across the region, many of whom had known of Dad only from our stories, took the time at noon on a Thursday to help us carry our heavy hearts. Dad would have been very pleased at the turnout.
James Pilcher , investigative reporter: I’m grateful for: Family (wonderful and supportive wife Melissa, three incredible sons Nick, Josh and Jeffrey). A job that I love, where I feel like I can make a difference sometimes. My musical journey of 2015 (U2, Death Cab for Cutie, Van Halen, Bunbury). Friendships, especially the close ones I’ve nurtured over the last two years.
Melanie Laughman , preps planning editor: I’m the mother of backup keepers. Under normal circumstances, my son, Jake, scored goals as a full-energy striker and my daughter, Meg, helps control the field as a cerebral, aggressive center midfielder. Memories of the few stints they had outside their comfort zones, playing in goal, illustrate why club sports give me something for which to be thankful. When they excelled in those situations, their growth in confidence came straight from their coaches and the parents on the sidelines who cheered them on like surrogate aunts and uncles. Sports, while important to our everyday fabric, pale next to the friendships, memories and life lessons they create.