So many deserve so much thanks during the ongoing national health emergency

To the editor:

Some of us are retired and somewhat used to being home. Some of us are kids, enjoying being home from school. Some of us may be on an unexpected break from our jobs or from managing our businesses, and hopefully we are not as worried now that we know there will be money coming to help pay for the work we couldn’t do. We appreciate how hard this has been for you.

But all of us are dependent on another group of us who are not home, willing or otherwise.

Thank you to the grocery store clerks, baggers, delivery people, stockers and managers who have kept our stores open so we have food, medicine and paper goods. Thank you to the cooks, order takers and especially the cleaning crews at our local restaurants, who give us an option other than doing our own cooking — and a taste of normalcy in a time of weirdness.

Thank you to the mail carriers and package delivery folks, who keep us in contact with the outside world. Thank you to the police officers and sheriff’s deputies, who keep us safe and protected. Thank you to the firemen and women and the ambulance teams, who volunteer to help us in time of emergency. Thank you to the counselors and support group leaders, who listen and give us calm assurance.

Thank you to the doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical administrators and cleaning staff, who put their lives in jeopardy to take care of us. Thank you to the ministers and staff of our churches who reach out however they can to remind us who is really in charge and how to reach Him.

If you know one of these people, thank them.

And from those of us who are older and may suffer from health complications: Thank all of you who are staying home, too. You may never know it, but you might keep someone from getting really sick, and we appreciate it.

Hopefully, it won’t be too much longer before life gets back to normal.

Steve and Patty Johnson

Libby