Lee Caldwell, Travel agent, Bellevue

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"I've got support from my friends and family when I need it. I've got a sister who's given me money and loaned me her car because mine is in poor condition. I've got a son who tolerates my problems... I think this is a pretty good Thanksgiving for me considering how many people have it much worse -- and I have a place to go. I'm not in a really great position at the moment, but it'll get better."

Deena Depew, Homemaker, Bellevue

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"I am most thankful for a loving, healthy family, and my faith in God... We've had a Thanksgiving tradition for the last eight or ten years where we sit around just before we eat and we tell something we're most thankful for before we say grace. My parents just sold their home and they're moving up here from California, so I'm real thankful for that, too."

Mareen Katzer, Domesticated housewife/mother, Seattle

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"I just got remarried and I have a wonderful new husband and step-daughter -- that pretty much sums it up. The second time around is definitely the best! ... We're getting a group of friends together again -- we call ourselves 'orphans' because we all moved to Seattle for job opportunities but all of our families are basically on the East coast. We keep adding people and it's really fun."

Brian Davis, Travel agent, Seattle

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"My wife, because she's supportive and loving and a good friend. We were married six months ago in New Jersey after we'd known each other for three years... I'm thankful that I'm employed, that my family is in good health, that I live in a nice area -- I could go on and on. We have a friend who has a cabin down on Longbranch on the Kitsap Penninsula and we go there every year on Thanksgiving to get away... I'd like to add that, as a travel agent, I hope everyone has a very safe and relaxing holiday."

L.C. Bohrer, Retired, Seattle

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"Somebody is starting to think about balancing the budget. Ten years is Never Never Land. Two years is pretty certain. Somewhere in between is possible but still not as certain. I think that both parties did pretty badly but Clinton did a good job publicizing the scare tactics -- I was more than disappointed in his performance. The budget will benefit everyone and I'm thankful for that... We usually don't do much on Thanksgiving Day -- it's usually the day or two after. This year, we're staying kind of close to home."

Diane Durr, Sales associate, Bellevue

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"For family and friends. We have a family gathering every year -- everyone comes over to my grandparents' house and we all eat and talk and hang out. It started because it was the only time of year that my great-grandfather could see all the grandkids. Then he died, and the tradition continues. It's hard without him."

Copyright © 1995 by the Bellevue, WA-based Journal American newspaper.

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