Keep them waiting long enough and everything will taste better, my grandmother used to say while preparing the Thanksgiving meal.

To this day, I still can't decide whether it was her southern cooking skills or simply the natural effects of starvation on the young human body after about nine hours without food — but man those meals always tasted good by the time dinner was served.

It took me years to discover that maybe the pre-feast snacks were strategically limited to enhance the aroma of the apple pies made fresh from the backyard tree of her Northern Virginia home, or possibly to exacerbate the smell of the turkey that seemed to forever slow-cook in her oven on the holidays.

But good things always came to those of us who waited on those wonderful days. And it seems they still do.

On this day, I'm thankful that it is Huntington and Patch which has brought to an end my wait to return to the East Coast as a journalist after years of U.S. Marine Corps service, college and previous news jobs in far away places.

I couldn't have picked a finer town to work in and I am thankful to those of you who have let me in and given me the chance to pursue my passion for telling it like it is in a place I thoroughly enjoy.

Seven months ago, I honestly didn't know the difference between a Wildcat and a Blue Devil, a Polansky or a Petrone. But through meetings, celebrations, disasters and decisions I've learned to appreciate much that is Huntington and I hope to continue to learn as I report the everyday experiences that make this place what it is.

I'm thankful for a community which inspires me while keeping me wanting to learn more every day and I am hopefull that I will continue to be a part of it for quite some time.

My grandma has since passed away, but her life lessons are still as fresh in me today as her homemade egg nog on Thanksgiving Day: Do what it takes to keep them wanting more.

And that I intend to do — but hopefully I won't keep you waiting as long as she lovingly did.

Happy Thanksgiving to my dear family and friends, and especially you and yours. 

If you see me on the street in the coming months, feel free to pass on to me the sweet potatos of life in our town. I'm always hungry for more.

Question: What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.