Thanksgiving Blessings During COVID-19

 th 
 Dear Friends,

Thursday is Thanksgiving Day, and a lot of people may feel there is less to be thankful for this year. After all, daily life has changed dramatically and many of our usual activities have been curtailed.
 
Most businesses continue to struggle; especially the Mom and Pop businesses. Some jobs disappeared overnight. Gatherings with friends and family are mostly at a distance. Going to a restaurant, or to a movie, or to a ball game, or to a concert, or to an amusement park is no longer as simple or carefree, and additional safety/health precautions now accompany every activity.
 
People with health issues or who are older and more at risk may have been staying at home more, increasing feelings of isolation, loneliness and depression. Some of our friends and loved ones may have become ill and may have even died from this horrible virus that is ravaging the world.
 
So what is there to be thankful for this year?
 
The answer is simple: Be thankful for life – for each day's quiet dawning, for every brilliant sunset, for the happy sound of a bird warbling in the distance, for the sweet aroma of freshly cut grass, for the wind rustling through the branches of an old oak tree, for the smile and kindness of a stranger,  and yes,for the wondrous world all around us.
 
Be thankful for hope, for the hope that today will be better than yesterday, and that the promise of tomorrow is always before us. Be thankful for love, the most powerful force in all the universe that overcomes time and distance.
 
Be thankful for faith, for the belief that we are all part of something far greater than ourselves, and that there is more good than evil existing in the world.
 
Yes, there is much we should be thankful for. Despite today’s challenges, we will survive and become stronger for having faced them. Storms eventually subside, and the sun ultimately shines brightly through the clouds once again. As my grandmother used to say, “This too shall pass.”
 
So my dear friends, be thankful, be safe, and remain resilient during this season of Thanksgiving