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Nose for News by Sarah Stultz

My husband and I traded off over the weekend to try to tackle our backyard of never-ending leaves. All of the trees in our front and back yards are both positives and negatives of the property, with the negative being at this time of year when we’re busting our backs to clean up all of the leaves and haul them away.

I read something the other day that if leaves cover 10 or 20 percent of your yard, you should just leave them there — mow them up if you want and they’ll ultimately release nutrients into the lawn. But if you have more than 50 percent of your yard covered by leaves, you better clean them up or you might ultimately suffocate your lawn. We definitely have more than 50 percent of the lawn covered, which makes the choice for me about whether it has to be done.

As I write this, we’re still not done for the season, and the temperatures are dropping.

But regardless of how my back yard turns out, I’m grateful the weather held out this past weekend for us, and we were able to get through a good chunk of the yard. As I was outside raking and bagging our leaves, I started thinking about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and all that I am blessed with in my life.

I’m grateful to live in a community with wonderful people — that each day I come to work I get to interact with all of you and hear your stories. These are stories not only of celebration and happiness but sometimes struggle and hardship. The stories aren’t all glitter and sunshine, but yet you’re willing to open your hearts to me and often your homes. Thank you for trusting me with your stories.

I learn from each and every interview I do and from each person I meet. It’s the truth when I say that many of you have had lasting impacts on my life and taught me many valuable life lessons.

Thank you.

I’m also grateful for genuine friendships I have developed over the years with many of you and for the sense of community I feel when we interact. It’s nice to know that we live in a community where people care about each other.

If you’re having a hard time being thankful this year, may I suggest that you begin by writing down one blessing you recognize each day from your life. Though we only have one month to go until the end of the year, you’ll find even in 30 days that you’re much more blessed than you realize.

Whether it’s a roof over your head, a soft bed to rest on each night or a compliment someone gave you at the store, these are all blessings.

We have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season, and this week, I hope you will take a moment to thank those who have mattered to you this year.

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Wednesday.