Jim Krumel: The best thing to come out of this mess ...

Maybe. Just maybe.

There are signs that things are picking up. That you can breathe easier … a little more money will be left over after paying the bills, your job is secure, the kids will be able to find work after they graduate from college.

So many people are looking for a break from these tough times as the Thanksgiving holiday rolls around. This hasn’t been a pretty year.

Hope. Distrust. Ambivalence. Fear. Confusion — it’s been filled with all of those.

We experienced it again the past two weeks. It came in bits and pieces. Add them together and you’ll understand why so many in the media are skeptics.

It started with a couple of national stories on the Business page, both of which hinted at better days ahead. The first involved Wall Street and the stock market reaching its highest level. The other was about consumer spending. It pointed to luxury department stores like Nordstrom and Saks, which are starting to get more traffic. That in turn spurred hope that stores catering to the middle class would be the next to experience an uptick.

A few days later, Northwest Ohio residents were reminded of how quickly circumstances can change. There were layoffs at DTI in Bluffton and the closing of W.C. Wood Co. in Ottawa. The only shopping these people would be doing is looking for jobs.

Then last week, a Youngstown developer rolled into Lima talking about the “new” plan for the American Mall, although he told us to quit calling it the American Mall. Think in terms of “American Village,” he said, a place filled with office space, retail and restaurants.

So, we closed our eyes and listened. It sounded neat. We hope it will happen, but we’ve heard it before ... that old skeptic coming out again.

And the news continued:

• The price of a gallon of gasoline dropped, then we learned the oil companies were ready to shut down refineries because of the falling demand for fuel.

• We’re told the way to contain health care costs is by taking preventative measures.  Then, along comes a panel of so-called experts advising women in their 40s to skip mammograms because the health risks aren’t as bad as originally thought. Of course, this has nothing to do with the fact that a mammogram test costs around $200 and that insurance companies will save a bundle by not having to pay for exams until a woman is age 50.

So, this Thanksgiving many of us will have to do some soul-searching, which may be the best thing to come out of this mess.

It’s unlikely there will be a huge pay increase that leaves us thankful, or a stock portfolio that’s on a five-year run.

Instead, we may be looking more appreciatively at those people who are special to us. We’ll hug our kids. Enjoy our families. And we’ll be thankful for the things that are truly important in life.

ROSES AND THORNS: A hero tops this week’s roses.

Rose: To Clifford Watson, of Lima, who rescued a baby from a burning home on Michael Avenue.

Rose: To Teresa Poeppelman, kitchen supervisor of the Auglaize County Jail. She is serving prisoners frozen juice bars on Sundays instead of fruit cobbler, which is saving the county nearly $800 a year and still meeting mandated nutrition requirements.

Rose: To Jack Hunt and Linda Hagerman, who have worked 45 and 40 years, respectively, at The Lima News. They each received service awards last week from the newspaper.

Rose: To Diane Fruend and Ruth Roller, who were honored by St. Rita’s Medical Center for 45 years service.

Thorn: To Allen County Clerk of Courts Gina Staley-Burley. The questions by fellow elected officials concerning the amount of time she is spending on the job points to a lack of leadership in the clerk’s office.

Thorn: Habitat for Humanity in Lima could build seven houses, according to Executive Director Lavon Welty, but is unable to find someone who can qualify for a loan to buy one of the homes.

Thorn: The price of gasoline in Lima jumped 36 cents a gallon Tuesday morning, going from $2.29 a gallon to $2.65.

PARTING SHOT: A Thanksgiving conundrum — If you can’t pay your bills, should you be thankful you’re not one of the people you owe?

Jim Krumel is the editor of The Lima News. If you would like to suggest a rose or a thorn, contact him at jkrumel@limanews.com or call 419-993-2076.