On this Thankful Thursday I am thankful for the gifts that Barbara Vaughn brings to my life. I have known this talented woman since the day she first came to the Charleston Speech and Hearing Center where she started her career as a speech/language clinician. She moved on to become the ombudsman in the City of Charleston and later Director of Media Relations. Mayor Joe Riley recognized something that I already knew. Here was a hard-working, dedicated, gifted person who knows how to stick with a job until it’s done. She does all of this with charm and good humor. Barbara came to Charleston from her native Alabama and is a graduate of the University of Alabama. I have known her children all of their lives. Her daughter, Mary Chris, served on the Say Something Nice Sunday committee before she returned to full time teaching and her daughter Elis is the mayor of Cayce, SC. Son Ryan has an aquarium shop in West Ashley. Barbara loves to travel, but is really immersed in all things Charleston. She represents the city and the mayor well. Way back, she helped make my daughter Suzanne’s wedding dress and veil and I still own and use an armoire that she rescued and refinished. I am so happy that Barbara and her family are a part of my life. On this Thankful Thursday, I am grateful for the gifts that Barbara Vaughn brings to my life. Pictured are Barbara, Mary Chris, Elise, Caroline,Emma and Zoe.

Thankful Thursday is a day set aside to recognize the contributions of someone special to our lives and to let her or him know of our gratitude. Develop an attitude of gratitude. Say Something Nice; Be a Lifter. You will be glad that you did.