Day two of the 2011 winter blast in Abilene should serve as a fresh reminder of the gratitude we should show to those who work to make our lives easier and our bellies full.

Roads around the ACU campus have been rendered impassable this week, due to icy conditions and temperatures that dipped to near 10 degrees on Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service. But for some, the show must go on.

The university elected to close campus on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, but ACU’s cafeteria, the World Famous Bean, kept its doors wide open. Many students may have suffered bruised knees and egos from slipping and sliding on the ice, but fortunately, none have starved.

The Bean is often a popular “whipping boy” on campus; however this snow storm should serve as a chance to be thankful for what we do have. The Bean’s employees traversed Abilene’s frozen roads so students would not have to drive off campus and risk their own safety.

Further down Judge Ely Boulevard, Rosa’s Café, an affordable Mexican restaurant, was packed on Tuesday night with scores of hungry college students, many of whom had walked to the café, taking advantage of the restaurant’s Tuesday special: a taco plate for $3.69. Undoubtedly, the main goal local eateries is to turn a profit – it is how they stay in business after all.

But let’s be thankful for the men and women who show up no matter how icy the roads are who serve our tummies. Without them, college students may have gone hungry this week, because there are only so many Pop Tarts a college student can eat in one day.

So, let us give thanks for our daily bread and those who serve it, even if it is a little frosty outside