By the time this week's edition of Upper Peninsula Second Wave hits your email inbox, I'm already going to have been sitting in the woods, like many hunters, for about half the day.
That's not bragging, mind you, but just a factual statement. The reason I say it is because deer hunting, it just so happens, is a passion of mine. I've been doing it since I was a young boy, learning the ropes that my father, Mark, was so patient in teaching me. I wasn't always the best student, to be completely honest, but it didn't stop me from being passionate about it.
In fact, it became one of the things I reflect upon every year when Thanksgiving rolls around. I live in an area where I can go and provide for my family simply by using the skills that were taught to me decades ago. And, what's more, I enjoy it.
There is so much to be thankful for here in the Upper Peninsula. For the most part, we've marched forward despite the crushing economic times that have attempted to drag this grand country down. We continue to prove, like the old stories of Yoopers long past, that we're as hard when it comes to work as the iron ore we mine from the earth.
At U.P. Second Wave, we're pretty thankful for a lot of things as well. We get to put out some great news each and every week while meeting wonderful Upper Peninsula residents while we're at it. We get to tell their stories, and spread the word about this outstanding place we get to call home.
We hope that you, too, have so much to be thankful for as well. Great family. Great friends. Work that helps you keep food on the table, heat in your home and a roof over your head.
We're going to celebrate Thanksgiving next week by taking a week away from publishing our little U.P.-focused publication. We hope, on one hand, that you miss us and can't wait for the next edition, which will come out Nov. 30 (which happens to be the last day of firearm deer season). On the other hand, we hope you are so busy enjoying your own family during the Thanksgiving week that you hardly even notice we're gone.
So, until next edition, have fun, enjoy the Upper Peninsula and, of course, your friends and family.
Sam Eggleston is the managing editor of Upper Peninsula Second Wave and a full-time freelance writer. He can be reached via email.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.