In today’s fast, self-focused world, even the best of us often forget to say thank you. Gratitude is a long-since forgotten virtue in modern society–and if you need any convincing of that, just look at how Thanksgiving has been sidelined for the more commercialized holidays that flank it on the calendar, Halloween and Christmas. If anything, Thanksgiving is only recognized for the turkey and football, with little thought given to its origin or even the very word we utter when we mention the holiday.

Thanks-giving. Such a simple concept, really–and yet without the regular habit of giving thanks, it’s an easy muscle to atrophy. That’s why we make an effort each year to pause from the busyness that is the holiday season and really give thanks for all the blessings, people, and events that have shaped our lives in the last year. Here at Vander Giessen’s, we find ourselves at the end of another growing season–this our 86th as a family business–and we are once again so blessed by the year that we’re wrapping up. 86 years is a long time for anything to last–most of our earliest customers have long ago passed away, our town has grown exponentially in the decades since our founding, and even the way we grow and sell plants has changed dramatically over the years. Yet one thing has stayed the same: the faithful patronage of our customers.

As with any small business, our success depends on the community that supports us, and in this year, we’ve seen and felt that support once again. Whether you stop in once in the spring for a few vegetable starts, drop in to browse our plant selection a few times over the course of the year, or make a weekly trip to the nursery to refresh your garden or pick up a bag of fertilizer, you matter to our success, and we are grateful. While you gather with your loved ones around the table this Thanksgiving weekend, we hope you have a wonderful time reflecting on the blessings in your life–and know that around our family table, we will be giving thanks for your part in helping our business continue to thrive.