Happy Thanksgiving
- Posted by Spider McKnight on 11/24/10
“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.”
These are the opening lines from Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation which set the precedent for America’s Thanksgiving. Every year, I think back to it and am amazed that, in the midst of this nation’s darkest days, he was still able to recognize and be thankful for the “bounties” that persisted through the struggle. And, every year I try to embrace the intent of the holiday to be thankful for the bounties in my own life.
This year in particular, we at Six Pony Hitch, have much for which to be thankful. First and foremost, we are thankful for each other. “The Ponies”, as many have taken to calling us, have had a wild and crazy six months as we stepped out into new territory, creating a business in this century’s version of dark days. But we have pulled together, stuck close to our vision of the agency we want to create, and worked hard to do some truly effective work for our clients. Thank you Alisa, Mike, Erin, Luke, and Deborah - my fellow ponies.
Next in line, of course, are our clients. I have spent many years in this business and never have I been so proud of such a roster. From tried and true clients like MCDC, and Tipu’s Chai who stuck by us and made the transition with us to new clients like Missoula Aging Services and homeWORD that have recently come on board, every one of our clients is making a difference in our community and making the world a better place with their products, services, and general outlook on life.
Some specific client call outs this year go to:
Geoff Peddicord and Mary Windecker at Community Medical Center who made shooting commercials fun again.
Kenda Salisbury, Brad Bowden, Emily Greenwald, Brent Hicks, and Greg Lakes at Historical Research Associates for teaching us more than we ever thought we would understand about history and cultural resource management.
Suzie Estep, Trish Weber, Zack Porter and the hundreds of amazingly dedicated and brilliant people we have met who are working to stop the construction of a permanent industrial corridor through Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. The website is going live soon so please become one of the many who, like Six Pony Hitch, are All Against The Haul.
Lora O’Connor, the marketing committee, and all the amazing folks at the Humane Society of Western Montana for keeping us inspired and thankful every single day of the year.
Alex Stokman and Jennifer Thompson at Missoula In Motion for keeping us constantly amused, motivated to continue our happy hours, and out of our cars.
Keri McWilliams and Ann Andre at Missoula Aging Services for showing us that Missoula truly is a great place to grow older.
Amy Kellogg, Heather Knutson, and Erin Proctor at Country Pasta for keeping us well-fed and super motivated.
David Glaser and Lynn Dankowski for keeping Montana in the black.
Linsey and Chris Corbin for letting us do great work but keeping us humble on the fitness front.
And of course, Bipin Patel, Varada Veum, and Mark Lannen for proving that perseverance will get you everywhere.
At the risk of sounding like an Academy Awards speech that has gone on too long, we are also so very thankful for the following people who have made Six Pony Hitch possible:
David Glaser – Yes he is mentioned twice but he is our hero.
Amita Patel – We are so thankful for all the long hours, wonderful advice, and general cheerleading.
Norm Williamson, Megan Tiffin, and most especially, Heather Hudson, at Anderson ZurMuehlen for their brilliance at accounting, bookkeeping, and hand-holding.
Shane Reely – Hands down, the best attorney in the world. Go Gators! Thanks also to Todd Olson, Helen Hauerwas, and Vicki Davidson who all help to keep us out of trouble.
Mike and Jan Peissig and all the great folks at Gateway Printing.
Lynne Pearl Lynn Purl
Leslie Jensen and Darcy Larson at First Interstate Bank.
Holly Truitt at spectrUM for her social marketing wizadry, always cheery spirit, and smart, tactical brilliance.
Greg Alderisio, Tara Ketner, Andy Commons and Shane Cavaliere for helping pull some of our extra loads.
Lori Stroup at Lambros for helping us find a new stable (more on this later).
Finally, a big thank you to Bridget, Jared, Ryan, Terry and Cindy Zens, Jim and Kathy Mandis, Nelson and Janet Kenter, and Nancy Davenport.
Emma, the office dog and Hector, and Langston the substitute office dogs.
We are truly grateful to you all.