Thanksgiving message from Naheed Nenshi

The following article was cross-posted from www.nenshi.ca (Mayor Nenshi's re-election campaign website) once the 2013 election was over.

By the time you read this, you will likely be digesting the last of the turkey, having finished washing the dishes and hopefully reflecting on fond memories of a fine Thanksgiving weekend with friends and family.

I've had a great weekend as well, spending time in every quadrant of the city with thousands of Calgarians discussing our community and all that we are thankful for.

Over the last three years, I’ve been filled with gratitude every day -- gratitude for this wonderful place, for the amazing people within it, and for the opportunity we've all been given to make it even better.

I've also been reflecting on the last four months, on a summer none of us will ever forget. We faced the greatest natural disaster in the history of our city, and we showed the world who we are and what we’re made of.

So, today, I am thankful for our public servants. I've always been proud of my colleagues at the City of Calgary but never more proud than these last few months. From looking after our safety to keeping our water clean to managing our waste, from building roads to driving buses and cleaning our parks and so much more, they do important work for us every day, but never more so than this summer.

I am even more thankful for Calgarians. Every day, we find ways to help our neighbours, using our hands and our hearts to make our city better. Not just pitching in after the floods, but every single day, I'm inspired by the stories of real citizenship happening in every corner of this community.

Sometimes, the rhetoric in elections and politics gets heated and there are often disagreements on how best to move forward. But today, on Thanksgiving, let us remember what has made us so successful: that we've figured out that simple truth that evades so many in a world that often seems so broken. The simple truth that we’re all in this together, that our neighbour’s pain is our pain, and that our neighbour’s success is our success. Only together will we make Calgary even better.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

-- Naheed