Saturday, November 14, 2026
By the time you read this, many of you and your families, along with loved ones, have sat around the tree, opened presents, stuffed our faces with great food, and even squeezed in a little football if we were lucky. It’s easy to forget that we do have more gifts given to us throughout the year which we have a habit of overlooking or just taking for granted.
We have some of the finest schools right here on Marco in the form of Tommie Barfield Elementary, the Marco Island Charter Middle School and Marco Island Academy. These schools are a product of the families here on Marco, and the accomplishments are made possible by the wonderful staff, administrators, and volunteers, who throw their hearts and souls into our children every day.
Our Public Safety Professionals: police, fire and EMS all stand ready to serve you on a second’s notice. All of us have been touched or know someone who has been assisted in this last year by one of the young men and women in these professions. Our streets are safer because of them, our friends have been saved by their prompt actions and knowledge, and our homes may still be standing because of their quick response.
Some of us, as well as a family member or friend, may have had the unfortunate need to access the healthcare system here or become ill and require hospitalization. I can tell you from personal experience, we are so lucky to live in an area that has wonderful professionals and facilities. We don’t go on a wait list for procedures, we aren’t told we can’t be taken care of due to financial reasons, and we are always treated with respect, regardless of the circumstances.
We live in one of the most beautiful areas of this great nation. While friends of mine north of here are scraping ice off their windshields, we are putting the tops down on our convertibles, headed off to a paddleball or tennis match, chasing a little white ball around the golf course,or enjoying a day at the beach while reading a favorite book.
Our environment is pristine, and the wonders of nature are as boundless as they are beautiful, but that is not without the vigilance of volunteers and professionals who work every day on our behalf to keep it that way.
Lastly, we live under the comfort of a blanket of freedom and liberty which has been woven together with the threads of sacrifice by our military and their families. From my father’s generation to those young men and women wearing the uniform today and deployed away from home during this wonderful holiday season, we say thank you for your sacrifice, patriotism, and bravery.
Yes, every day we live, we are unwrapping the gifts we sometimes forget we have. Those I mentionin this week’s piece are just a few of those. We take much of what we have for granted, and we shouldn’t. We need to say thank you each day we rise for the greatest gift that has ever been bestowed on us, the Birth of Christ, the event we sometimes mix up with the simplicity of a holiday.
Enjoy this holiday and the wonderful gifts which a bestowed upon us by those who we sometimes overlook. Merry Christmas, and our wishes for a spectacular New Year as we turn the pages on but another trip around the sun.
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