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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories App Finder: Best vintage shopping apps The sweet smell of soap-selling success Ashland: Food vendor tax tabled to next meeting Acting without a net Ashland: Police department hires from within to fill slot left vacant by soon-to-be new county sheriff Falls Education In Portland, mindfulness classes ease stress of high school Student beats the odds AHS students form ribbon for AIDS awareness Kiwanis, Lions team up to help Nature Center Teacher's Tips: College not the end-all for every student Environment ‘Tis the season — for wild mushrooms Don't like weather where you are? Move a mile or two Salmon: A force of nature can be restored Students nurturing nature SOU eyes burning biomass instead of gas Business The sweet smell of soap-selling success Ashland: Food vendor tax tabled to next meeting The Haven Ride & Drive: Ford Transit Ride & Drive: Canyon 2015 GMC Politics and elections Kent Bush: First Amendment doesn’t mean what you think it means Miller write-in campaign lands Ashland Parks and Rec seat Granlund cartoon: GOP wrecking balls State News In Portland, mindfulness classes ease stress of high school GMO label measure, losing by 809 votes, headed for recount Resent ballots, late results likely to trigger GMO recount Nation - World Grand jury won't indict Ferguson cop in shooting Obituaries Marie B. (Aiken) Stella Demo Death Notices Cynthia �Cyna� Ann Death Notices Sports Latest Stories Ashland: Police department hires from within to fill slot left vacant by soon-to-be new county sheriff Falls Oregon State's Mike Riley leaves for Huskers SOU volleyball team's season ends with loss to Vanguard at nationals Raiders brace for dangerous Saint Xavier pass rush It all comes down to this for Ducks and rest of Pac-12 High school SOU volleyball team's season ends with loss to Vanguard at nationals Southern Oregon roughed up by defending champs Six Grizzlies voted MWL first-teamers Grizzlies roughed up at Silverton Upset-minded Grizzlies brace for undefeated Foxes Southern Oregon University Oregon State's Mike Riley leaves for Huskers SOU volleyball team's season ends with loss to Vanguard at nationals Raiders brace for dangerous Saint Xavier pass rush It all comes down to this for Ducks and rest of Pac-12 Southern Oregon roughed up by defending champs Opinion Latest Stories Our View: Celebrating more students Guest Opinion: Ashland feeds them, we deal with them Letters to the Editor, Dec. 5 Granlund cartoon: Justice and Eric Garner Kent Bush: Do you want fries with that sermon? Editorial Our View: Celebrating more students Our View: A morning well spent Other Views: Tax reform won't be easy Our View: Give market vendors a break Our View: Gray, Black and Cyber Letters Letters to the Editor, Dec. 5 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 4 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 3 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 2 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 28 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland feeds them, we deal with them Guest Opinion: It's time to put a price on carbon Guest Opinion: The Keystone XL pipeline — a quixotic objection Herb Rothschild Jr.: Congress won't stand up Herb Rothschild Jr.: Greed, love and the Shmoo Revels Latest Stories 4 Things to do this Weekend At the movies SOU presents all-percussion concert Best Bets: Dec. 4-11 Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Theater Meet the real Jacob Marley New design for Bricks takes shape Hard to keep a straight face with 'Red Noses' 'Red Noses' is a romp through slapstick and pathos 'The Drunken City': Bachelorettes meet bar-crawlers Music Peter Chianca: Top 40 songs even a dad could love The Farr Side: Different artists, common songs Longtime area musician Steve Read, 64, dies The Farr Side: CMA telecast was a disappointment Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Movies At the movies Interview: Benedict Cumberbatch on playing ‘The Imitation Game’ Interview: Reese Witherspoon experiences life in 'The Wild' Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'Citizenfour' is a matter-of-fact bore Food and Drink Blue bows out of Granite Street site, Agave moving in Chef count up at feast for the senses Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Looking Up: The Man in the Moon looks your way Acting without a net Kent Bush: Do you want fries with that sermon? In Good Faith: Advent explosion Dr. Murray Feingold: Say it like you mean it Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Our View: Celebrating more students ... Ashland Calendar ... Guest Opinion: Ashland feeds them, we deal with them ... Our View: Celebrating more students ... Ashland Calendar ... Guest Opinion: Ashland feeds them, we deal with them ... Suzette Martinez Standring: Thanksgiving, when you've suffered loss By Suzette Martinez Standring More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Suzette Martinez Standring More Content Now Posted Nov. 21, 2014 @ 12:01 am By Suzette Martinez Standring More Content Now Posted Nov. 21, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News Saddle-brown leaves fall from branches, but suddenly one tree with vivid, yellow foliage appears like an apparition as I drive by. Strangely, its lonely brilliance is like a wake, when all focus on the passing glory of a loved one’s life. With newly empty chairs in sharp relief at family tables, Thanksgiving is a double-edged sword of union and separation. November is a strange, bridging between the past and the present. The month begins by remembering loved ones through All Souls Day and the Day of the Dead. Everywhere, kid-friendly ghosts and graveyards lighten our otherwise-dark thoughts about mortality. Cold winds cue another season, and symbolically, life goes from “this” to “that” in the time it takes for a scarlet leaf to turn brown. The time of year brings to mind Psalm 90:10: “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures: yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” Thanksgiving follows on the coattails of longing and remembrance. Coming to the holiday table coincides with harvest and rest from reaping, yet for those enduring loss, the newly empty chair at the table will be difficult. I lost my own mother in 1987, and I still search for her in my dreams. Yet the present is demanding of my time and attention. The present bundles up new memories to sustain me down the road. The present reminds me to bring my purpose, whatever that might be, to its full flowering. Thanksgiving will create another experience of feasting and togetherness, but I am mindful that all I have could change in a moment, because tomorrow is not promised. It is fitting that both urgency and appreciation pay a home visit on the day when our nation shares a collective mindset of giving thanks. Gratitude veers one’s thoughts in the direction of good things gained. So much in my life was unexpected, and therefore unearned. I recall how many folks, now long passed, have enriched my life. I was so lucky to be my mother’s daughter, so blessed to have a father who was both provider and protector. Some friends died at a ripe old age, others much too soon, but not before infusing something precious into my spirit. I think of all the unhappy missteps in my life that mercifully became good life lessons. I am in awe of strangers who popped into my life to offer me opportunities against all the odds. I didn’t create those people or those situations. Rather my prayers were heard and being grateful renews my hope for the future. Thanksgiving is not a time for future planning or looking ahead. It is about coasting to a stop, grateful for what I had, and mindful of what I still have, however long it lasts, just like the bright yellow tree in its splendor. Email Suzette Martinez Standring at [email protected]. She is syndicated with GateHouse Media and teaches writing workshops based on her books “The Art of Column Writing” and “The Art of Opinion Writing.” Visit readsuzette.com for more. By Suzette Martinez Standring More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Suzette Martinez Standring More Content Now Posted Nov. 21, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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