Some days the topic for an editorial is an elusive thing. As a weekly community newspaper we want this space to reflect opinions on issues which have significance to our city.
There are other times, when it's time to write the editorial, the topic is rather obvious.
It's Thanksgiving Monday as these words are being written, and when we look at our city this year, there really is much we should be thankful for.
We can look back at July 1, as an example. The massive flood which hit our city that day caused massive damage, much of it still being dealt with. Stores damaged are still not open, and many homes are still on waiting lists for repairs, or new carpet.
Still, when we reflect on that day of heavy rain from the perspective of nearly four months later, we can be thankful for much associated with the flood. As dramatic as the damage was, there was no loss of life. That in itself is a major thing.
But, there is also the way the community responded to the event.
The way neighbour aided neighbour in the heart of the storm is something deserving of a moment of thanks on this day. A community is a community because of the way people support one another, and Yorkton citizens were there for each other.
In the days and weeks following the storm the community also showed how it could come together in other ways. The number of donations made to first responder organizations such as the Salvation Army and Canadian Red Cross, by community organizations and businesses have been nearly a weekly occurrence.
If we extend our vision just a bit beyond the city limits, we quickly recognize Yorkton is still very much the centre of a vibrant rural, farm area.
For farmers this year the weather has been a challenge basically from the first thaw of spring. Most producers faced wet spring conditions which limited acres seeded, and flooded out some crop which they had managed to plant.
Rain was never something in short supply all year, and the wet weather extended into the fall harvest season. Everyone has heard stories of farmers stuck in the field repeatedly with combines this year as they worked on reaping the crop.
There was a time not so many weeks ago that most farmers feared they might never get their crop off.
While there are still many acres in the field, the recent unseasonably mild temperatures, setting record highs in many communities in the last week, has allowed farmers a window to salvage much of their crops.
Farmers for sure have to be giving thanks for the recent weather, but we in Yorkton need to be thankful too since farmers are such an important part of the local economy.
So while we can look at the weather challenges of the last several months as just that, a challenge, the way the community reacted, and how nature has allowed farmers to harvest, are certainly reasons to be thankful at this time of year.
