I love Temple Terrace, so I vote for a smile town. However, I am sure there are some folks here hurting from the economic downturn. There are a lot of homes empty or in foreclosure, as well as some families who have one or more parents looking for jobs. There are young people who are having drug, job, or relationship problems. I know seniors who are stuck with homes they can't easily sell, who are worried about investments dropping with every stock market upset.

Some people feel like they can't or should not share with others the challenges they face. I hope we can all remember these neighbors during the rough times. Temple Terrace is a close community in many ways - we need to all pull together and remain good neighbors during the troubled times we are living thru right now. If I am correct, the citizens of Temple Terrace actually had to bail out the City government during the depression. That is the kind of roots we have here. Look how lucky we are that our city is actually building and developing a new town center for us all. On that level we are blessed.

I know we can all make this season brighter for someone in need. Let's look for the frowns out there and try to make this place a place of caring, compassion, and more smiles.

Jamie, since it's founding, Temple Terrace has been a tight knit Community, and we have a long history of stepping up to the plate for the good of city and community. It is what this city has come to be known for.