Next week the Crescent will be delivered or mailed to all residents in the reading area for free.Why?Well, long ago the folks at Tollefson Publishing decided to start sending this special issue of both the Crescent and the Star Herald to thank current readers and show non-readers what they are missing.Last year for this issue I was still new and didn’t understand the importance such an issue presents to me as the editor of the paper.Next week almost three times as many people as in a normal week will see the front of the Crescent. I can’t expect all of them to open it and read, but I am pretty sure they will at least glance at the front.If you are reading this column, you are probably a subscriber or a loyal online reader – meaning you already know how much I enjoy my job and how thrilled I am to be covering the happenings of my hometown and surroundings.Next week I need to convince people who have never read any of my stories or laughed at my columns to make reading the Crescent a part of their week. My goal is to produce a paper so interesting and fun that they’ll want to get the paper the next week and the week following.To do this, I have asked many people to help me pack the pages of the Crescent with columns, ideas, advertising and news stories.This week I want to thank those people. They are making my job easier and your paper better.I feel the Crescent is a good newspaper and I want to see it stay around for years to come. Without the help of these generous contributors and advertisers, that will not be possible. So, as I get closer to my Thanksgiving holiday, I am thankful for you, my readers, all of those individuals who submit items for publishing and those advertisers that have stayed with the Crescent through all of its changes.Maybe next week, as a team, we can present a stellar product that homes can’t be without.Be thankful this yearThanksgiving is always a time to pause and reflect on the things and people we are thankful for.As we fight off the crowds in the baking aisle, drive over the hills toward our Thanksgiving meals and cuddle on the couch with some home movies, don’t forget to think about all of the soldiers and families affected by our country’s various military activities.Another group of folks to think about while counting your blessings are all of the Americans whose lives have been flipped upside down by natural disasters.In addition, pause and send some warm thoughts to the orphans, parents and citizens in Pakistan who are still homeless because of a terrible earthquake that destroyed their lives just weeks before facing the same harsh weather we face in Minnesota.Steen and Beaver Creek Thanksgiving newsThis year Cheryl Pavel will be putting together the Thanksgiving news of the area. I encourage families from Beaver Creek, Steen and Hills to call her with your holiday plans.Normally, Cheryl covers the local news in the Hills area, but during the holidays she is welcoming news from families of Beaver Creek and Steen as well.Call her before or after Thanksgiving weekend with news of your travels, meals and parties. Her number in Hills is 962-3344. Story ideas or comments can be emailed to Lexi Moore at lexim@star-herald.com or called in at 962-3561.