Landmarks across the world were lit in the colors of the French flag over the weekend. It was a symbolic gesture, of course, lights won’t undo the damage in Paris.

It was also an attempt at comforting us, the people who didn’t witness the attacks and see the carnage firsthand, but who were just as horrified by it, and, speaking only for myself, a little afraid of what it means, what comes next.

So I appreciated the red, white, and blue of Seahawks Stadium, the news of how Parisians used social media to keep each other safe, and all the other gestures people made, just to comfort each other.

I need reminders of just how kind, smart, generous, strategic and just plain good people can be, sometimes. We all do, actually.

With that in mind, I want to extend some thank-yous to people who, in no particular order, deserve them just for doing what they do.

Danny Raphael, winner of this summer’s Snoqualmie Watershed Forum photo contest, is one of those people. He takes, and shares, beautiful photos of the Valley. His images make me happy. Raphael’s winning photo will be distributed as free posters in the area later this month.

Amy Biggs is the Valley’s transportation guru and cheerleader, but she’s realistic about what can be done with limited resources. She has been working for years to bring public transportation that people will actually use to the Valley, to make the system not only seem viable but actually to become viable.

There are organizations, too:

The Snoqualmie Valley Chamber of Commerce, for hosting a series of candidate forums in the weeks running up to the election;

The city of North Bend, for annually recognizing a Citizen of the Year, and;

The Snoqualmie Valley Flood Forum. Every year, Angie Donaldson and the staff at the Hauglie Agency put on a forum that helps everyone, from never-flooded novices to far-too-experienced experts, get informed and prepared.

There are many more people to thank and many more reasons. I hope to get to all of them, because we all need reminders, and these are the people who give them.