Over Labor Day weekend, I headed to the Shawano County Fairgrounds to watch my niece show cattle.
It was a homecoming of sorts. When I was her age, I spent a long weekend in the same barns, caring for and showing dairy cattle. 4-H played an important role in developing me into an adult, teaching me leadership, hard work and community service. It also led to strong bonds with other 4-H kids and families.
I moved away from Wisconsin after college and returned in 2022 after nearly 30 years away. Seeing familiar faces at the fair, eating at the same food stands I frequented for decades and watching parents and kids work so hard with those cattle reminded me of what made me most thankful: community.
I’m grateful for my parents for supporting all my efforts, from the spelling bee to 4-H to band. And I appreciate all that growing up on a dairy farm taught me: the value of a good day’s work, ingenuity, even recovering from loss. There are innumerable lessons I learned there that helped me along my career as a journalist.
My family wasn’t my only community growing up outside Cecil. We spent many days with our neighbors, whose children were the same age as my siblings and me. We went to church together, celebrated birthdays and weddings and as kids rode our bikes and snowmobiles and tried not to get in too much trouble.
With my 4-H family, I showed animals and learned to cook and crochet. We had a softball team and spent countless hours serving food at flea markets and fairs. My church community strengthened my faith. In school, I built friendships through forensics and drama and band.
People come in and out of your life, and these communities strongly influenced the person I became, each providing support and life lessons. A rural Wisconsin upbringing means you’re supported by a tight community that offers help before you even think to ask. When my dad died in 2009, the number of old friends who came to the funeral or sent cards or texts was a testament to that. I hadn’t seen some of these old friends for decades, but they came anyway. Because that’s what a community does — lifts each other up.
There are many things I appreciate about returning to Wisconsin, and I’ll count them among my reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving.
The diversity of natural areas in this state give me endless opportunities to hike, kayak and just explore. From the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan, from the driftless region to the forests in the Northwoods, each region reveals its own beauty in just a couple hours’ drive.
Wisconsinites don’t take that for granted. I’ve seen crowds of people standing outside on a night when nature provided us with a nice full moon or a spectacular view of the northern lights. Lakes are well used by boaters and swimmers alike, but they’re also protected because we understand they’re a gift.
Madison is a food lover’s paradise with so many great restaurants, and I especially appreciate that people here understand that summer is fleeting so they embrace every moment with music, festivals, boating and more. If you haven’t been down here for awhile, it’s worth a visit to experience its vibrancy and people.
I’m thankful to be back in a state that not only appreciates winter but embraces it and have eagerly re-embraced winter hiking, snowshoeing and frozen lakes.
I’m especially grateful to be able attend holidays, birthday parties and game nights since I live just a couple hours away from my family. There’s nothing like a family gathering to raise your spirits and make you feel connected to something.
Wisconsin’s devotion to the Packers is the envy of football fans in this country and beyond, and it’s fun being part of that mix again. Outsiders can mock us for our obsession with cheese, but I’ve enjoyed taking visitors on cheese tours and opening their eyes to the artisanship.
This state is often stereotyped as all cheese curds and brats, and I love that Wisconsinites wear those labels proudly. It’s part of the culture, and people here embrace their heritage.
There are so many reasons to be thankful this year, including good health, supportive friends and family, a rewarding career, great neighbors and all of the opportunities I’ve had in life. Behind all of those blessings are communities that made it possible and cheered me on along the way.
For that, I’m grateful.
Kelly Lecker is executive editor of the Wisconsin State Journal.
