Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is less than a week away as I write this, and yet, the stores are in Christmas mode, big time! It's a shame we don't give much thought to Thanksgiving, which is a perfect holiday in my opinion! There are no obligations beyond having a day off, spending time with family, eating too much and snoozing through a football game. It's easy to get caught up in the busyness of Christmas and not give much thought to all the things we have to be thankful for.

This year has been a tough one. Last year we thought the pandemic would be over and things would get back to normal in 2021. It has been anything but normal! We began with a contested election and violence in our seat of government. Vaccinations gave us hope but so many people refused to take them. Division and violence have continued. For me, health has been an inconvenience-I had a hip replacement in the spring and COVID in the fall, despite being vaccinated. My husband finally retired this year but our plans to travel have been on hold. 

And yet, I have so much to be thankful for! Modern healthcare is a marvel; my hip replacement took a little over an hour and relieved my pain almost immediately. I spent 8 hours in total in the hospital. My bout of COVID in October was mild, due to the readily available vaccinations I had in February and March. We have a roof over our heads and a 22lb turkey to share with family on Thanksgiving day. Despite the cold weather just starting and the inevitable snow to come, we haven't suffered from drought, floods or hurricanes in Wisconsin this year. And finally, we are scheduled to make our first trip since the pandemic began and will visit family on the west coast! So, as we sit down with family and friends to feast on turkey and pumpkin pie, let us all pause and give thanks for what we have!