There’s a new function on my phone that tells me when I need to go to bed to get the hours of sleep I will need based on the morning alarm I’ve set. I never knew I’d need something like that. But, these days seem to flow from one into the next, filled with busy work schedules, kid’s activities and too few moments to concentrate on what’s really important.

For me, the Thanksgiving holiday is an important time for me to slow down and focus attention on the many blessings I am thankful for. And they are abundant. Loving family. Friendly co-workers. Strong community. Reliable power. Democracy. Modern medicine. Big fish. Strong poles. Football. A new Star Wars movie. I could go on.

I know we all have lists like these that include the people and ideas that make us wish life would slow down just a bit. We all share a tremendous quality of life, due in part to the hard work of this cooperative’s employees who work here and don’t ask for a lot of recognition. We pay them, but that’s not enough. But, we really ask a lot.

I’m thinking about Dwayne Dickerson, a lineman in Neese who literally risks his life everyday climbing utility poles and touching live electric lines—all so we can enjoy uninterrupted power. Dwayne also serves his co-workers on the employee association and plans picnics and other events so he can add some special moments to their day. This Christmas he’ll work with other linemen in his free time to collect toys and clothes to help needy families. Dwayne just wants to do his job and help others.

I’m thinking about Yesenia “Jessie” Guevara who answers your calls in the contact center. Recently, she took a call from a member who was trapped in an elevator when her power went out. Rather than telling her to call 911, Jessie got the help she needed and called the member back several times to make sure she was okay during that difficult situation. I only know about it because the member wrote a thank you letter telling us about her “hero.” Jessie just wants to do her job.

I’m also thinking about Tommy Haggard. He’ll be at work on Thanksgiving. We have a group of employees who work in System Control 24 hours a day, every day of the year—even Thanksgiving and Christmas—to make sure your electricity stays on. Tommy, and the other employees who work in System Control, want to make sure your Thanksgiving dinner isn’t interrupted by an outage.

Wherever you find yourself in our community—at work, in your church, cheering on the sidelines, or visiting with neighbors—you are surrounded by people like Dwayne Dickerson, Jessie Guevara and Tommy Haggard. Great people who want to give you the best possible service.

Do you have a story about one of our Jackson EMC employees? Send me an email to [email protected]