A season of thanks for 20Below staffers.

Byline: The Register-Guard

DEAR ORLEY:

I don't even know where to begin. You're the Top Dog of Grandmas, the Big Kahuna of Grandmotherhood, and I respect your independence, family devotion and strong opinions more than anything.

Through thick and thin, you have stayed by my side. You go to my games, you taught me to cook and you still make stuff for me. Thank you for always being there.

When I was younger, I really took you for granted and I took our time together for granted. I know I could just walk up to you right now and say "thanks," but I want the world to know that you're the best. I want the whole world to know about you, the woman, who is the best grandma, the best wife and the best mom.

You took me to Australia and I had the time of my life. Most kids wouldn't be able to stand living with their grandma for two weeks, but I loved it! I loved eating my meals with you, talking with you, and taking the tours with you.

You used to take me to town with you all the time, and we'd go out to lunch. As I look back now, I realize how incredibly lucky I am to have been able to spend all this time with such a great person.

Right now you are making me a quilt, and each of the pieces has been approved by me. None of that old-fashioned or ugly stuff - it will be beautiful. We used to sew stuff together all the time, making little bags and doll clothes. I loved that!

I also love when you take me on walks in the forest and to the upper meadow, and plant flowers with me, and let me pick and eat all your green beans and prunes.

I know that I can always depend on you, and that you'll always be there for me. I know that if I need you for anything that you will drop what you're doing and come and help me.

In your own silent way, you have shown me how greatly you love me. Your actions speak far clearer than any words ever could. I love you, Orley, and thank you for all that you have done, and will do.

- Jillian Green, Lowell High School 

TO EVERYONE:

There is no way I can pick just one person to thank. Everyone around me has made an incredible impact on my life, and I want to thank them all.

To my friends at school: You guys have always been there ever since preschool - thanks for the memories!

To everyone at Spotlight Theater: I love you all. You are amazing, and I can't possibly tell you how much you have changed my life in the very best of ways.

To my family (grandma, grandpa, all my cousins, aunts and uncles): I couldn't ask for a better family! Thanks for all the road trips and family reunions.

To all my best friends: Without you, life would never be fun! I love you guys so much - thanks for all the discussions on life, love and everything else.

To Mary: I thank my angels every day that I ended up at Spotlight with you. You showed me another amazing side of life. Thank you so much.

To my baby sister Hannah: We never had to talk, we always just knew. I love you.

To my sister Laurel: Now that you're gone, I wish you could be here every day. Thanks for not killing me when I was annoying.

To Mom and Dad: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for showing me what unconditional love means.

- Rachel Nelson, McKenzie High School

TO MY FRIENDS:

As I watched an episode of "Saved by the Bell" the other day (one of my choice programs), I was appalled. Kelly (the ingenue) and Lisa (the token best-friend) bickered over who had cuter hair. That's not what shocked me.

What left my jaw glued to the floor was the phoniness. How could two best friends be arguing over something so trivial as hair? I was so thankful that my friends and I keep our quarrels down to important stuff.

What IS important to fight over? Friends are friends. Friends are your family away from family. They're there to talk to on the phone in the wee hours of the morning, to comfort when life tastes like cafeteria food, and to laugh at the random.

Most important, friends are there to smile when they read a cheesy note of gratitude in the newspaper.

From a red-headed chickie who fosters goofiness, thanks to all the friends out there!

- Mary Pilon, Churchill High School

TO EVERYONE:

First, I would like to say "thank you" to everyone who has ever known me - family, friend, teacher or acquaintance. In some way you have touched my life and helped me become the person I am today.

As I look back, I realize that I owe at least a thank you to so many people and yet, I have neglected to say these two meaningful words to too many people. After being away (on foreign exchange) for so long, I have realized how much you mean to me and so I would like to take the time to say that before it is too late.

Especially to Jamie, Ty and Travis: Each of you mean so much to me and I know that, without you, my life would be empty. Although I am the big sister, you have each taught me so much about life. You guys are the best.

To all my family: You have been my support from the beginning, helping me up when I fall and putting up with all the attitude and stubbornness the rest of the world does not see. We have had our ups and downs as any family does, but never forget how much I love and respect you.

Especially to Josh: We've been best friends since seventh grade and you know me the best. Thank you for your friendship and honesty, for telling me the truth (whether I want to hear it or not) and for sticking by me when everything is crashing down. To Danielle: Your smile and caring attitude have been things I can rely on no matter how bad situations get. Thank you for caring even when I turn away. To Jed: You have helped me so much through the years and have known me the longest. You are an awesome example, cousin and friend.

To my girls, Laura, Sasha, Mieka, Rachel, Lauren, Lindsay, Gretchen, Ashley and Jenny: I will miss you all so much as we go our separate ways next year. But know that you have all helped me and you mean so much to me. Thank you for being my friends.

To all my friends: Your silly jokes and carefree attitudes are an irreplaceable help to me; your opinions have helped me become stronger; and the examples you set inspire me. No matter how short our relationship has been or how many fights we've had, you have influenced my life in a way that is unique and special.

I feel lucky to know so many wonderful people. Thank you.

- Jodi Thiel Cottage Grove High School 

DEAR MRS. PASCAL:

I'm not sure where you're at now, or even if you still live in Eugene. But I'm sorry I never got the chance to thank you.

I never had many teachers who truly communicated with their students, but I was amazed with how well you connected with us. You valued our opinions, you respected us and you were always fair.

I'll never forget the time we were discussing the school budget in class, and you delayed a test that day because you thought the discussion we were having was more vital to our education than the test.

I'm sorry I never got the chance to thank you for the many ways you touched me - as a teacher and as a person - and I'm more sorry you left our school after only one year (I hope you're still teaching today).

But the memory of your kindness and brightness will be with me forever. Thank you.

- Jesse Thiessen, Sheldon High School 

DEAREST JULIA:

There is no one more deserving for me to thank than you.

Julia, you've been my best friend for 10 short years and I cannot imagine life without you. When we're together, my life is carefree. I never want that fun and happiness to end.

My daily life is bland now that you have moved, and I never want you farther away than you already have traveled, to South Eugene.

I need to thank you for always being there for me. You are the steady, comforting lighthouse that is a joyous sight from my stormy sea.

You never judge me, and in those situations when I deserve an "I told you so!" - when you warn me not to, I do it anyway and get hurt - you give me nothing but loving support. I know I can always turn to you.

I am so thankful to have somebody in my life I can trust the way I do you - somebody who cares about every single step I take, who wants only the best to happen for me.

Thank you for putting up with me being a spoiled brat. Even when I'm mean, you come right back with only love. I boss you around, I order you to do stuff. I take too much advantage of you, and now I want to make sure you know how grateful I am to have a friend like you.

I love you so much, and I know we will be friends forever. Thank you.

- Helen-Marie Shepard, Sheldon High School

TO THE TEST-GRADERS:

Thanking teachers in general? How cliche, but how perfect.

In preschool, you taught me the alphabet. You also taught me that I shouldn't eat paste even if it did taste good, and that self-haircuts were a "no-no."

In kindergarten, you showed me how to spell my last name and told me it never changed (even though I insisted that it did sometimes).

In grade school, you taught me how to make cars that traveled without an engine, and rockets that protected an egg inside. You told me that I was special, unique and different - just like everybody else. You also showed me that school could be fun.

When I reached junior high, you taught me that good grades were the product of hard work and only sometimes the product of clerical errors and luck. I learned how cool it could be to blow things up, especially if colors changed in the process. You also taught me that war and killing always will be evil.

In high school, I learned about the world. Foreign countries I had never even thought about had become the focus of my life - including my temporary home of Djibouti, Czech Republic. You taught me how important friends are and that they should be cherished.

Now, I look back and realize just how much I've learned. Not just book smarts, but life smarts. Thanks!

- Emma Nelson-Munson, Sheldon High School

DEAR CLARE:

I know we have not always been the best of friends, but through the grace of God we have grown close this year.

You drive me mad with your crazy antics but I am proud to stand by your side and call you one of my closest friends. From dance parties to school projects to boys, I have watched you grow and progress through your high school life. Day after day you reveal the true colors of your beautiful spirit.

Today, I want to say thank you for teaching me one of life's most valuable lessons.

This is a difficult letter for me to write. But after listening to someone speak on the concept of unconditional love, I knew I had to write to you.

Clare, you have taught me the meaning of unconditional love. You have demonstrated that love can survive the toughest conditions. You are proud of your feelings, and I admire the way you refuse to back down from them.

Again and again, I have challenged and questioned your passion, but each time I walk away realizing the feelings within you are real. When I look into your heart, I see someone who grasps the concept of undying love.

From you I have come to understand that love is more than just an emotion: It is a way of life. Every day I am amazed by your patience and your even temper. You stand true to love when everyone else sneers. Not once have I ever heard you deny love. I cannot think of a greater accomplishment in this world.

You are a candle in the wind. The world around you blows at your flame, but it only fans your inner fire.

Even though I've laughed at your romantic ideals, I know there is truth behind them. Thank you for showing me that unconditional love is real.

Someday, I hope I love someone the way you do.

- Stephanie Burton, Sheldon High School

SAYING THANKS. We say it all the time. Everyday, it's a "thanks" for this, a "thank you" for that.

Thank you has become a very light phrase; it carries no real weight today. We say "thank you" in situations where the last thing you want to go is give thanks to someone.

But some people do deserve a real "thank you" - a genuine show of appreciation or gratitude for something that person has done or said.

For me, I want to say thank you to two people - two strong individuals - who I most likely will never get to meet. But both have influenced my life, and both deserve real "thank yous."

In sports, there are few true role models these days. Too much ego, too much drugs, too much money. But one gem does stand out - baseball player Chuck Knoblauch of the New York Yankees.

Knoblauch is rather small in stature, but he has the courage and toughness of even the largest man on the playing field. On a perfect team, he is seen as the standout imperfection.

In a city with a malicious news media, Knoblauch has gone through the baseball equivalent of hell. He lost his job at second base after a rash of errors since 1998, and he was relocated to left field this year. All the while he stood his ground, gritted his teeth and took all the savage blows the media could throw at him.

Why say thanks to an overpaid 32-year-old baseball player? Well, as a rather short person myself, I admire the way he plays. He proves you don't have to be the loudest or the most egotistical to get the job done. Knoblauch gets the job done.

But most important, he has shown we are human, and that we do make mistakes. The way he has handled those mistakes is worthy of saying "thanks."

Speaking your mind and holding your ground in tough situations is a skill that sophisticated Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton knows well. In a male-dominated political world, she has been one of the most intelligent and thoughtful voices since Eleanor Roosevelt.

Clinton has proved women can be politicians and fit in as "one of the boys."

Much like Knoblauch, Clinton has taken nothing but criticism from her enemies. "A cold witch," "sneaky" and "criminal" are but a few adjectives used by her critics.

But the facts remain: She is as intelligent and talented in the political arena as men. She is their equal and often their superior at their own game. She has shown that women belong in the House, the Senate and the White House.

Her tenure as first lady was amazing. Overall, she and her husband made America a better place for all Americans.

I say thanks to Hillary Clinton for giving young women hope that they can do whatever they want.

- Genevieve LaBahn, South Eugene High School 

ON OCT. 27, there was a great college football game.

You remember the one: Oregon vs. Washington State just one week after UO's devastating home loss. It was full of smart plays and memorable moments.

One moment, however, stood above all others: UO's Onterrio Smith making a 73-yard touchdown run. That's the kind of play that athletes live for. There can't be a much better feeling in football.

As I watched Smith's sprint on TV, though, a funny thing happened. Aside from the glory beaming from the tailback accelerating down the field, there was another emotion out there - from the three Cougar defenders trying so hard to catch up to Smith.

It wasn't quite anguish, but it was close. It was the kind of despair that can only come in certain self-disappointing situations like that one. In all the beauty of Oregon's triumph, all I felt was sympathy for those three Cougars.

What a weird emotion for sports.

I like football. I'm not a fanatic and I don't know most teams' players by name, but I like watching the games. How can I survive if I keep feeling sorry for the losing team?

I don't play any team sports, so I searched my mind for any experiences that might have made me such a softy. It didn't take long before I knew.

There is a camp that I go to every summer in the Idaho Panhandle. The camp activities are too variable to describe but there are some traditions that remain. One of them is an annual softball game.

Everyone from age 3 to 73 is invited to play, (and this camp has both those ages and all in between) so obviously no one takes it too seriously. That, I think, is where I get my lighthearted angle on sports.

In this game, if a kid can't hit the ball after 14 pitches, they still get more. If someone really good comes up to bat, they hold the bat upside down, or bat off-handed. Every game ends in a tie. The crowd makes up its own cheers: `I like pasta and lasagna ... Our track team will out run ya!' Nobody cares that it has nothing to do with softball.

Some people might think that a game like that would be, well, really lame. But I maintain that an open mind and a carefree spirit can make anything fun. I like playing in that softball game because the focus is on the camaraderie and the humor. Not on winning.

I don't disdain real sports; as I said, I like football. But as I thought about my strange feelings on Smith's run, I realized that I was thankful to have a camp as warm and fuzzy as that one.

And what better season to acknowledge thanks than this one? The people who make the camp run are too numerous and enigmatic to list, but I am confident they know who they are. I thank them all for making me such a softy.

- Teal Greyhavens, South Eugene High School

CAPTION(S):

KELLY LEE / 20Below News Team