S-N Editorial

Turkey Day 2023 is upon us once again – a time when family and friends come together to give thanks for the many blessings we’ve been afforded over the past year. While there are many things to complain about these days, there are far more important things to be grateful about.

We can be thankful for community. Our neighbors are there for us through thick and thin, whether we realize it or not. Oftentimes, the strength of communities like ours is only fully realized in times of tragedy or great concern – mealtrains are organized when someone suffers an accident or fundraisers are held to benefit a community member battling illness. But our communities are also strong during more subtle events like summer celebrations, fire department fundraisers and other similar events. We’re here for each other.

We can be thankful for our families. While we may not always get along, it’s a great thing knowing there’s a core unit that always has your back. Those of us lucky enough to have family in the area know this tenfold. We get to spend time with our loved ones outside of holidays without having to travel great distances. That’s a blessing we often don’t realize until they’re gone.

We can be thankful for our health. You never know what someone else is going through, and it’s important to never take good health for granted. The pandemic repeatedly reminded us of this in recent years – we all knew someone who was hit hard by COVID-19 or died. While vaccines and weaker strains have dulled the ravenous nature of the virus, memories of its toll are still fresh and serve as a constant reminder that each day is blessing.

We can be thankful for our country. Turmoil in the Middle East has continued to escalate over the past month as the war between Israel and Palestine protracts. With no end in sight and the humanitarian crisis worsening, we are reminded how good we have it in the United States. It’s no secret that we have our problems – plenty of them, in fact. However, our country is still safe from the unimaginable horrors we see on our TVs from across the globe. It goes without saying we can be thankful for that.

While the grocery bill is still high, interest rates continue to soar and political discord remains in the gutter, we can still be thankful that we have each other this Thanksgiving. When you gather with loved ones this weekend, remember some things shouldn’t be taken for granted no matter how simple they may appear.

Happy Thanksgiving.