My husband and I both found that we have many forefathers and foremothers who started out in Virginia, even some at Jamestown.

As we celebrate the Thanksgiving Day, the Great Falls Connection has asked area residents to respond to the following three questions:

1) What will you give thanks for this Thanksgiving?

2) What are you thankful for living and/or working in Great Falls?

3) What advice would you give to someone looking for more special things to be thankful for here?

Pat Mercer Hutchens, Teacher and artist (Wife of PCA Teaching Elder Jim Hutchens, Retired BGEN Army Chaplain, responded:

1. A better question might be, what won’t I give thanks for. My husband, retired Army and later retired Presbyterian pastor (PCA) and I have lived here for 30 years. I have taught school many of those years at George Mason, The Corcoran, NOVA and Lord Fairfax College and met and helped in the lives of hundreds of young people. I still teach part time. We moved 18 times before settling in this area, so I am beside myself with joy that this is where we ended up. We have three children and 12 grandchildren, all of whom live in the area. I am overflowing with gratitude for our wonderful family.

Because I have lost many friends I grew up with and went to school with, I am deeply thankful for so many friends we have made through the years in Virginia, DC and Maryland. I’m thankful for health and strength. Although I grew up in a wonderful small town in Louisiana, I love living in this Metro area, within a drive to many beaches and easy train ride to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. We have beautiful trees in our yard, and a comfortable home. Come to find out in years of taking advantage of the countless sources for studying genealogy, my husband and I both found that we have many forefathers and foremothers who started out in Virginia, even some at Jamestown. I am basically one happy camper, and oh yes, I give God lots of credit for grace and mercy not only to have been blessed, but to have the health and strength to enjoy what we have.

2. Who would not like living in one of the most beautiful areas of the United States? When we moved here, our neighbor had almost 12 cows in a field behind us. Another neighbor raised roosters and chickens. Several others had horses. Some or all of these groups occasionally drifted into our yard – which was okay for a girl raised on a farm. I have been able to find full time and part time jobs. The museums abound, the treasures of the Smithsonian are a stone’s throw away. Hospitals and health clinics are near to every area. It is impossible to get around to all the incredible restaurants – but we have tried. There are zoos, news museums, many places to study, theaters, libraries in every town with an interlibrary loan system, colleges are close for taking classes (such as computer skills), and well, I cannot think of a better place to live.

One of the things our children liked in this area was that they met and became friends with people from all over the world – people sort of live and let live around here. Since I am a practicing artist as well as a teacher, this area abounds with opportunities to be in art groups, exhibit art works and to see hundreds of other artist’s work. The churches are great – if you don’t like one, there are dozens of other good ones to visit and attend. There are personal interest groups for just about everything and we have not finished visiting all the sites that people from all over the world come to see. It really feels like the center of the world.

3. I try my best not to give advice unless asked, but I would just say that special things are easy to find and that no doubt thankfulness originates on the inside. Not only is beauty in the eyes of the beholder, but so are things to be thankful for. I appreciated the town I grew up in and the many places we lived in through the years, but this area takes the cake for me! I do love New York, but I really love Northern Virginia.

Read More (for other responses): http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=346391&paper=65&cat=104

[Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced in this article is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]