Good morning, it's Christmas 2008. We've unwrapped our presents, the coffee and mimosas are going quickly, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is singing "Joy to the World."
The joy has been tinged with so much pain and desperation lately. In reporter Robert Napper's story today, we have just a glimpse of how too many of our neighbors are fighting to survive.
When Robert came back to the office yesterday to post a "breaking news" story on Bradenton.com, he told us of the jolt when, almost from nowhere, homeless men came forward for the kind help of Kim Johnson and Shelley Troyer. Editor Jennifer Rich had tears in her eyes as she worked through the story.
That compassion led the newsroom to quietly donate this week to help another family, suddenly homeless at Christmas, when Barbara Brownell, program director of the Family Partnership Center, e-mailed us about their plight. As sports news editor Alan Bellittera said as he emptied his wallet, "They need this far more than I do."
That's the joy in this world. That, and the balmy sunny Florida sky that greets us here in Bradenton today. To loved ones braving frigid temperatures and snow in Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Connecticut and yes, even Arizona -- we wish you were here to wish you...
Merry Christmas!
Joan
Thursday, December 25, 2008
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