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JESSICA FINCH Associate Editor

• THANKFUL - I know there are millions of reasons to be thankful this year, but I have a friend who has one big one: wind. My friend Jennie's apartment in San Diego was in the path of the recent wildfires. The fire was only four miles away, but the wind shifted, and her home and belongings were saved. She had a smokeand soot-filled apartment to return to but nothing some Pine-Sol didn't take care of. After losing touch with her for a few days while she was evacuated, I was thankful when she picked up the phone and said everything was OK. We all have something different to be thankful for on Thursday, and I hope you are able to celebrate with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving from The Amherst Bee.

by KIMBERLY KARCHER Clarence Bee Editor

• LET'S SAY THANKS - Earlier this week, my friend Hector forwarded me an e-mail about "saying thanks." At first I thought it was your typical forward - you know, the ones where you have to forward it on to 10 of your friends or you'll be cursed with bad luck and mismatching socks for the rest of your life - but I quickly found out it was something much more than that. The text in the e-mail simply stated, "If you go to this Web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com, you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services."

I went to the Web site and viewed numerous handmade cards by children of all ages throughout the United States. Reading their words, seeing their drawings and knowing they have an understanding of what these men and women are doing for us overseas made me a little teary-eyed. I chose the card I wanted, and the next screen asked me to type in my name, which can be just your first name if you choose, and my hometown. Below this, there are a number of prewritten messages for you to choose from that will be imprinted on the card. Mine read: "Thank you so much for your service, being away from your home, family and friends. I just want to let you know that I appreciate it and thank you for it. Please come back safe and soon." Then I hit submit and that was it. The card will be on its way to a soldier on the next "print run" by Xerox. There is no cost to send a letter, and it really only takes a few seconds. There is also a link on the site, "From the Troops," where you can read messages from soldiers who have received these cards. This Web site is just another way we can let our men and women know we support them - even if you don't support the cause. This Thanksgiving, "Let's Say Thanks."

• AN ACTOR IS BORN - The Aurora Players will hold auditions for the show, "Born Yesterday," at 7 p.m., Nov. 26 and Nov. 28, at Parkdale Elementary School's auditorium, 80 Parkdale Ave., East Aurora. No preparation is necessary; actors will read from the script. The show, to be performed in April, requires nine men and four women ranging in age from 25 to 65. The plot for "Born Yesterday" involves a corrupt tycoon who brings his showgirl mistress with him to Washington when he tries to buy a congressman. He hires a journalist to educate his girlfriend, and in the process, she learns just how corrupt her boyfriend is.