In today’s world, the word “thankful” is frequently used almost as an afterthought. Many of us pray daily, thanking God for his bountiful blessings. We thank Him for the health and safety of our families. We even thank Him for the freedoms we enjoy. But generally, it takes many of us 10 months until the month of November to realize how thankful we really are. The Thanksgiving season does tend to bring out the best in all of us.

In looking back over the past year, I am very thankful. I have a very supportive wife and family. My daughters are good citizens; they obey the law and stay out of trouble. Our country is safe, our military is strong and we have plenty to eat. Our citizens are generally in a good place with job security and possess the ability to provide for their families. The economy is doing well and unemployment remains at record lows.

Our state is also in a good place; rural North Carolina is on the rebound, but with plenty of work to be done. Most of us suffered little damage from any major storms in 2019. The Neuse River did not flood this year; King’s Restaurant, the Neuse Sport Shop and Piggly Wiggly survived a year without having to evacuate, store away stock from their stores, and re-stock them again. The power station in Grifton remained intact with no major, long term outages. A new bypass opened that will help get us to Greenville quicker and safer. Ayden has the prospects of a regional food commercialization project that should break ground in 2020. And a brand new ECU Brody School of Medicine may very well come to fruition in 2020, as well.

I am thankful that 2020 looks to be a very good year for Lenoir and Pitt Counties. I am thankful to work with other state legislators, as well as public and private partners that hold rural and eastern North Carolina values true. Next year holds much promise for the east. Let’s be thankful every day, and not just during the month of November.

Representative Chris Humphrey

District 12, Lenoir and Pitt Counties