Thankful

Each morning, a peaceful quiet lingers before the sun rises over campus—even though a wealth of activity has already begun. In the pre-dawn dark, mops are swishing, keys jingling, hash browns sizzling, shovels scraping, chairs sliding, and dry erasers gliding. Though we may not always see the many at work before we arrive, we certainly enjoy the fruit of their labors. This is a small way for us to say thank you.

There’s a jingle that used to ring out from television sets across the Midwest in a cheerful, staccato rhythm by way of a local bread company commercial:

“At three in the mor-ning when you’re in bed

the Hol-sum ba-kers are ba-king bread!

And that is the rea-son it tastes so good,

like oven-baked Hol-sum bread should!”

And that is the rea-son it tastes so good,
like oven-baked Hol-sum bread should!”

The upbeat little song made those who listened and the many who sang along both mindful and appreciative of those early rising bakers and the fresh, fluffy white bread they provided to hungry kids each day.

While not all Northwestern workers arrive at 3 a.m. to bake for us, there are many who do arrive on campus well before sunrise to prepare food, clear sidewalks, wash floors, set up classrooms, clean tables, staff the weight room, monitor the grounds, and ensure the safety of staff and students alike.

As days inch toward Thanksgiving the way the sun slowly, steadily rises at dawn, we want to say a special thank you to those that wake and arrive so early each morning—as well as to those that stay well in to the night—to make this campus and our lives safer, brighter, cleaner, more orderly, beautiful, and delicious. 

Your work and effort and, on many occasions, sacrifice, do not go unnoticed. 

Thank you!