At our Thanksgiving Day dinners, it is a family tradition for each person to say what they are thankful for. The responses are always sweet and sometimes hilarious. In years past, the kids would say they were thankful for the food (as they waited to dig in), the adults would say they were thankful for their health or a good job, and the grandparents would be thankful for just being present.
This year we actually have a lot to be thankful for as a country, although you wouldn’t know it by the 24/7 hour media coverage of everything negative. Yes, we still are in a pandemic, but we have vaccines and we have new treatments for Covid-19. Children ages 5-11 are now eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine, which for many parents is a huge relief. Many of us have had a booster shot, and there are areas of the country where over 70% of the residents are vaccinated, allowing a lot more normal activities to flourish.
While there will be shortages of goods and services for the near future, and not every toy or game will be available at Christmas, we can be grateful for what we have, and we can start ordering a little earlier to be sure that our transportation and mail systems can handle the shortages they are experiencing. Even a few years ago, it seemed impossible that you could buy something online and get it the next day! Now people get exasperated if they don’t get next day service.
Thanksgiving dinner itself may be slightly different than it has been in the past. Some ingredients may not be available and we may have to be creative about how we prepare our meals. But if we are generous with food pantries and donations, we can assure that most of us will be able to have some kind of meal together, even if it is not exactly like past Thanksgivings.
This year I am thankful for my family, that they have jobs and income, are healthy, and vaccinated so we can be together. What are you thankful for?
So much to be thankful for. I love the very name for this holiday: Thanksgiving. So important to give thanks — actually every day. I am thankful for my family–busy, productive — all healthy! For the lovely apartment Dave and I live in; the wonderful community and beautiful island where we live (Bainbridge Island); for living in a good and well-governed state (Washington); I’m thankful for Pres. Biden who I think is doing an amazing job and much underappreciated (what a tough job). I am thankful for the rain (way too many gray days, but the water is precious); for the trees, and birds, and creatures of all kinds; for this beautiful Earth that we are treating so badly; and for being alive at this important time in human history.
Lovely article brought back our Polish activities we did with my mom’s family