Our regular payday would have been Thanksgiving Day. I've got direct deposit so it normally wouldn't affect me, but I'm grateful the checks came in early so we could get them passed out yesterday in time for the holiday. And since a lot of banks are closed tomorrow as well they sent the direct deposits early, mine hit my bank this morning.

I'm also grateful for our new Human Resources director, Tim, who isn't afraid to say "thank you" and show appreciation for a job well done. (His predecessor apparently equated it with a show of weakness on his part, so for years all we got was criticism, never praise.) A couple of weeks ago Tim cleaned out his desk and found an unclaimed Lowes gift card that had been a prize at the employee picnic, won by someone who is no longer here. He gave it to me to say thanks for always running whatever payroll reports he needs, usually more info than he asked for, and doing it quickly every time. He said it was only $10 but it turned out to be $25, we got a new doorbell for the house with it.

Yesterday Tim surprised me with a big 10-year Certificate of Achievement with a catalog to pick out an award gift. Apparently Corporate just started doing this last year, so this week he went back and caught up on us old-timers that had missed out on. They're in five-year blocks, I'll be getting another one after I hit 15 years in February. This one had me in tears, which he seemed a little embarrased about. He hid it well but I could tell, and he offered me a hug. A hug was just what I needed, and would never have occurred to the previous guy.

So I'm especially thankful for my job and my coworkers today.