Newport-Mesa residents share what they are thankful for

I am most thankful for my wonderful girls Page and Megan and my sweet

husband Mark. The girls give both of us joy and laughter every day,

and I feel blessed to have them. Mark does a wonderful job taking

care of them despite his physical pain while I work all day. I thank

God that they have their dad home with them and the positive effect

it has to always be with their parents.

I am also thankful for our niece due in March; my sister Krista

Nay and her husband Dave have been trying for so long. My family all

lives so close, and I am very happy to see my mom and Frank, in-laws

Don and Virginia, Dave Sr. and Judy Nay, as well as Markā€™s brother

Eric, his wife Laurie and their kids, Sam and Linda.

LAURIE KEYS

Newport Beach

EDITORā€™S NOTE: Wendy Jawor provided the following from her

first-grade class at Harbor View Elementary:

I am thankful for the firemen because they help me. I am thankful

for my family. I am thankful for my teacher. -- Alex

I am thankful for three things. The first one is God. And the

second one is Jesus. Then the third one is everyone can live a life

they can enjoy and explore. I am thankful for these things because

they are very important. Think about it. Why are they important? --

Claire

I am thankful for my family because I love them. -- Annika

I am thankful for my mom because she loves me. And I am thankful

for my dad because he loves me. I am thankful for long life. -- Blake

I wish everyone had a house because some people donā€™t have a

house. So I wish everyone, every person was owning a house. --

Brendan

I am thankful for Ms. Dana, Ms. Jawor and Ms. Gibson, even though

she is gone, because they are nice. I am thankful for all of you. --

Shane

I am thankful for the world because it is nice. And everybody is

nice to others. -- Seve

I am thankful for Ms. Jawor! I am thankful for Ms. Dana! I am

thankful for Ms. Thompson! I am thankful for my dad and mom! I am

thankful for my dog named Spot! I am thankful for my dog named Spike!

-- Jack F.

I am thankful for three things. I am thankful for my family. I am

thankful for books and food. -- Barry

I am thankful for Ms. Jawor. Ms. Jawor is my teacher. I have two

teachers, Ms. Jawor and Ms. Gibson. -- David

I am thankful for Ms. Thompson, Ms. Dana and Ms. Jawor because I

like them, and they help me. -- Nicole C.

I am thankful for Ms. Thompson. Ms. Thompson is a beautiful

teacher. I like her because she is very nice. -- Reilly

I am thankful for firefighters. Even I am thankful for my mom. I

am even thankful for Ms. Thompson. Those are my three favorite things

I am thankful for. -- Tommy

I am thankful for God. I am thankful for Jesus. I am thankful for

my family. I am thankful for Ms. Jawor. -- Jacob

I am thankful for Ms. Thompson and Ms. Jawor. I am thankful for

Ms. Dana. -- Jack P.

I am thankful for three things. I am thankful for Ms. Jawor

because she is a nice teacher. I am also thankful for my class. I am

also thankful for the beautiful world and books. -- Nicole G.

Not a day goes by that we donā€™t think about and give thanks to the

brave troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their singular patriotism and

sacrifice allow us to celebrate Thanksgiving in the comfort of our

homes, surrounded by our loved ones. They are dealing with untold

stress, fired at by terrorists, seeing countless atrocities. Yet they

bravely protect and defend the rights and privileges we enjoy each

day. We are thankful and eternally grateful for the wonderful men and

women of the United States armed forces.

May God keep them and protect them this Thanksgiving.

THE OSSIPOFF FAMILY

Newport Beach

Iā€™m thankful every day for the joy and light my 9-month-old baby

brings us. After thinking we may not be able to have children, Riley

surprised us all.

We are so blessed to have loving family and friends and to live in

this picturesque city of ours.

SUE HARVEY-REESE

Newport Beach

We are thankful that my husband, a stepfather of four children,

has been a NERD for the past 14 months. John was diagnosed with head

and neck cancer in January 2003. Last year he went through a grueling

series of chemo and radiation. We nearly lost him at one point.

During his treatment, John was a willing patient with a positive

outlook. NERD stands for No Evidence of Recurrent Disease, which are

the best five words we know. God Bless and Happy Thanksgiving to you.

THE WARREN/MANCHESTER FAMILY

Costa Mesa

My wife and I, 71 and 73 years old, respectively, are so thankful

for our great-granddaughter, Micaiah who arrived on this Earth on

Nov. 6, 2003. From the day she was born she has been the joy of our

lives and, of course, she is the most beautiful and perfect child one

could ever wish for. We are privileged and thankful we can baby-sit

her every day, and to watch her develop is an experience most people

would die for. Our hopes and wishes are that our influence in her

life will lead to her becoming the optimum adult -- healthy, honest,

responsible, caring -- and provide the necessary positive influence

to our future children.

EDDIE and MARY CHAVEZ

Newport Beach

EDITORā€™S NOTE: Pat McLaughlin provided the following from her

third-grade class at Mariners Elementary:

I am thankful for a house and food, so I can live a happy life. I

am thankful that my family can go to the Claremont, which is a hotel.

I am thankful that I am able to see my grandma and Uncle Ron. I am

thankful that I get to see my cousins. I am thankful for

Thanksgiving. -- Gabe Breisch

I am thankful for my house being kind of torn up. I am thankful

for the Pyramid of Success. I am also thankful for my family. I am

thankful for my school and my teachers. I am thankful for my

principal. I am thankful for food. I am thankful for friends. --

Hailey Tarnutzer

I am thankful for my family, which gives me food, water and a

house. Plus, I am thankful for nature and the Boys and Girls Club of

the Harbor Area, which I rock the other teamā€™s worlds in roller

hockey. Iā€™m thankful for books. -- Brady Morgan

I am so thankful for my family because they are fun to be with. My

cousins, my sister, and I love to go exploring. We found a cave near

my auntā€™s and uncleā€™s house last Thanksgiving. We heard a weird

sound. It was one of my cousins with a tape recorder. I love my

family. -- Sydney Elliott-Brand

I am thankful. I am thankful for my family and for me to be alive.

I am thankful for my nice teacher, my nice principal and my good

friends. I am thankful for my dinners and a big thanksgiving dinner!

-- Nicholas Romero

I am thankful for ski week and summer. I am thankful for Halloween

and Christmas, the Fourth of July, my birthday and Easter. I am

thankful for my house and my family, my stuff and my pets. I am

thankful for all this because I like all this stuff. Thanksgiving is

my favorite holiday. -- Nick Meier

I am thankful for my family and friends, for it will be a boring

life without them. I am thankful for my house and room because I will

be cold when I go to sleep if I didnā€™t have them. Iā€™m thankful for my

bed and toys because it will be hard to sleep without my bed, and I

will be bored without my toys. I am thankful for my computer because

it helps me write stories and keeps me happy. I am thankful for my

country and soldiers that guard me from our enemy. I am thankful for

my school because it helps me learn more each year. I am thankful for

my stuffed animals because they keep me company in the night. Iā€™m

thankful for my cat because he keeps me company every minute. Iā€™m

thankful for everything! -- Mason Moody

Iā€™m thankful for my family to be here and Mr. Coach Woodenā€™s

Pyramid of Success to help me succeed in my life. Iā€™m thankful for

the food we will eat and the house we live in. Iā€™m thankful for my

parents and my life. Iā€™m thankful for my laptop and my playroom. Iā€™m

thankful for my teacher and school. But most of all, Iā€™m so thankful

for my family. -- Allison Allen

Iā€™m thankful so far this year for our school. School is best for

children. Another thing Iā€™m thankful for is my home. If I didnā€™t have

a home I wouldnā€™t be here today. Iā€™m also thankful for my family. Iā€™m

also thankful for so many other things. -- Rowan Frederiksen

This year Iā€™m thankful for my hair, so I wouldnā€™t be blond. The

second thing Iā€™m thankful for is school, so I could be smart. The

third thing Iā€™m thankful for is my dad, because he takes good care of

me. The fourth thing Iā€™m thankful for is food, so I could live. The

fifth thing that Iā€™m thankful for is my friends, so I wonā€™t be

lonely. The sixth thing Iā€™m thankful for is my pencil and paper, so I

could write and draw. That is what Iā€™m thankful for. -- Brandy Joyce

I am thankful for a good home and school and to have parents who

love me. My mommy loves me too much, but I love her. She is a good

mommy. So that is why I am thankful for her. -- Megan Pierce

I am thankful for this school that I go to and how fun it is. I am

thankful for my house and the library. -- Sarah Hollinger

I am thankful to have a family. I love my family very much. I am

thankful for being smart. Iā€™m thankful that my mom takes me to

Disneyland a couple of times each year. I love Disneyland. There are

so many fun rides there. I am thankful that Daddy bought me my very

own laptop. I am thankful that he also buys me lots of fun computer

and video games. I am thankful to be living in America. I am thankful

to be alive! I am thankful for everything! -- Alyssa Tan

I am thankful for Coach John Wooden, who helps us find success. I

am also thankful for my dog, house, family and my new fish, too. I am

thankful for what I have and what Iā€™m going to get. I am thankful for

my teacher and my school. I am thankful for my friends, games, toys

and books. I am thankful for everything. -- Brett Tafoya

I am very thankful for many things and people. I am thankful for

my teacher because I think she is nice to me and my classmates. I am

thankful that my family lives in America because this is a very

strong country to be able to live in. I am thankful that I have a

home, food, a family and my two hermit crabs and one hamster. I am

thankful we have Thanksgiving because you get to see your family. --

Ashley Ima

Iā€™m so thankful that I live in such a country. Iā€™m thankful for my

family, food and water. Iā€™m thankful for shelter. -- Brad Tapfer

Iā€™m thankful for my family and my good soccer team and, last, food

to keep me going. -- Cole Chapin

I am thankful for my family, my dog and my cousins. I am thankful

for my reading and learning center. I am thankful for my friends,

too. -- Katie Calder

I am thankful for friends, a family, games, God. I am thankful for

freedom. I am thankful for learning. I am thankful for food and life.

I am thankful for stuffed animals. I am thankful for many things. --

Flint Giedt

I am thankful for my family, friends, the food and my classmates.

On Thanksgiving I think about all the things that I am thankful for.

I also think about the Pilgrims, the Indians, the first Thanksgiving

and saying prayers. -- Natalie Cernius

Iā€™m so very thankful for these wonderful, hard-working students.

They are enthusiastic learners with caring, supportive parents. Iā€™m

also very thankful for Coach John Wooden, who wrote a childrenā€™s book

based on his Pyramid of Success, ā€œInch and Miles: The Journey to

Success.ā€ It is giving the students a standard to live by and a path

to find success doing their personal best. -- Pat McLaughlin

I am always amazed how easy it is to get caught up in the hustle

and bustle of everyday life. There are countless daily things we take

for granted, so much we donā€™t think twice about. Many of us live a

programmed day, completing tasks, meeting goals, carrying out

obligations and trying to meet our own increasing expectations. It is

normal not to consider health, democracy, freedom, a clean

environment, running water, electricity or tennis shoes every day or

even every week. We expect so much, continuously relying upon a

vastness of absolutes that hardly tickle our minds -- that is, until

something goes wrong. A conscious mental reminder is made of our

daily fortune, and we then advance through a period of heightened

awareness and appreciation for what is so easily overlooked.

However, the human psyche has a time limit for such mindfulness,

and soon we return to the structured familiarity of dates, duties and

deadlines.

Maybe this Thanksgiving we can use this day to acknowledge,

without a jarring cause, all the many wonderful things we have to be

thankful for, including the tennis shoes.

Happy Thanksgiving.

ETHAN GOLDSTEIN

Newport Beach