Editor:

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, our house we built and lived in for the past 38 years burned to the ground; we lost everything. However, we all made it out safe and alive and for that we are truly blessed and grateful.

We want to send a big thank-you to all the surrounding counties’ volunteer fire department people who were quick to respond and worked hard at doing their job. We appreciate all they did and how kind and helpful they were to us that tragic day.

We have seen the best in humanity and have been blessed by our wonderful community. We can’t thank everyone enough for all the phone calls, messages, texts, prayers, hugs, kind deeds, donations, cards and kind words over the past few weeks. Words fall short in conveying our appreciation and thanks for all the support and love that has flooded in from our community, relatives, friends, co-workers, neighbors, businesses, churches, civic organizations and complete strangers. To say your generosity has humbled and made us feel loved would be a huge understatement. It means more to us than you could ever comprehend. Thank you all for making this time more bearable and for filling it with so much love. Your kindness is turning our devastation into healing and we are grateful!

Please take this time over the holiday seasons to count your blessings, be grateful for what you have, and hug your loved ones. Remember “stuff” is not important, but family and loved ones are!

Werner, Kathy, Heather and Lilly Redd

Meherrin