On this Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for the gifts that Clarence Glover brings to my life. Clarence grew up on Johns Island, graduated from Clemson, and went into the army. He spent his career at the Charleston Navy Shipyard as an engineer. He and his long suffering wife Sarah are pillars at First Baptist Church of Charleston. Clarence has a real sense of humor and is a genuine cut-up. In fact my wife, Carol, says that we can no longer sit together at meetings because we feed off each other and disrupt everything. What I admire most about Clarence other than the fact that what you see is what you get, is that he is able to get to the heart of the matter. He can and does ask the difficult questions that no one else will ask. He served as clerk during part of my term as church moderator. I could count on Clarence to get the minutes both concise and accurate. It is not an easy task. Clarence enjoys flying his own airplane and tried his best to kill me when I was reckless enough to fly with him. When that didn’t work, he flew over the waters surrounding Folly Beach and showed me all of the sharks out there. He clearly indicated that they would enjoy a good Mitch meal. He is devoted to Sarah, his children and grandchildren. Clarence brings a real gift to my life. He is the rare individual who can disagree without being disagreeable. He is a booster of Say Something Nice Sunday. On this Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for the presence of Clarence Glover in my life.

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