The Halloween season is upon us, and right after that it’s Thanksgiving. While there is a lot going wrong in the world, there’s also so much to be thankful for.

Northern Michigan University superfan Kathy Andel obviously lives a life of gratitude, and strives to make the lives of others better on a daily basis.

Andel has cheered for NMU at athletic events for decades and, no doubt, cheered up countless NMU athletes and coaches with her cookies and infectious energy.

“The players really do appreciate all that she does, and especially the incoming freshmen,” her son Hans Andel said in a recent interview. “As it feels like a little bit of home having someone else watch over them when they are away from home for the first time.”

Andel has been at every NMU football home game for nearly 25 years. Even though her health has not been the best in recent years, players can still look to the stands and see their biggest fan decked out in green and gold — rooting them on whether they win or lose.

It doesn’t stop at donning team colors or even the moral support Andel has provided the teams over the years. It’s been comfort food as well.

Thousands of home-baked cookies over the last two decades have been delivered to the student athletes to enjoy post-game.

And it doesn’t stop there, Andel now brings home apples every year from a down-state orchard. She brings candy to the athletes on Halloween and Easter. She has even invited players to family birthday parties and other special events.

She does that because the students are not just members of a team she supports, it’s because they are people. People who recognize her as “Mama Hans” and “Grandma.”

It’s obvious empathy and gratitude have been Kathy Andel’s love language for much of her adult life.

We think others could take a page out of her playbook.