Something to be grateful for

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Thanksgiving is coming, and for many, it ushers in the holiday season. This is one of my favorite times of the year. I’m not going to allow what’s currently going on in the country to rob me of my joy, and neither should you. Regardless of the mess in Washington, we are blessed to live in this country, and it’s still the best country in the world. There are so many things for which to be grateful, and in honor of the season, that’s where I want to focus. The negative stuff will still be here, and this is not the time to focus on that. While this isn’t news or analysis, I hope it helps everyone to concentrate on what’s important in your life: family, friends, and joyfulness.

One very important thing to me is my “small but mighty” family. As you begin to age, parents die, family moves away, and you’re left with your small nucleus. I love mine and am extremely grateful to have them. Family is everything. When you have a great family and enjoy spending time with them, you tend to forget about the world’s woes. Like everyone else, we enjoy good food and companionship for the holidays, and it was so nice to read the headline from my latest edition of The New York Times: “The Morning: New Thanksgiving classics.” It even includes recipes. The article is written by the Editor in Chief, Emily Weinstein, who is apparently also a great cook. Weinstein said that the recipes she chose to feature are “simple but imbued with intelligence and spark, recipes that are beloved by our readers and indisputably delicious.” My attention has been drawn, and the nostalgia made me forget about problems for a while. I won’t be turning into Betty Crocker anytime soon, but it still gives me the “warm and fuzzies.” I’ve had very little of that feeling since the election, and I want to embrace it and carry it with me so that I’m not sitting around, worried about things I can’t change.

Instead, I think about a meme I recently saw at Facebook: “I have a home. I ate today. I have a kind heart. I have good wishes for others. I have [clean] water to drink. I am content. I am trying to become better. I have a dream. I have clean clothes. I am breathing.” There are so many things in each of our lives for which we are grateful. During times of turmoil, we must turn to those things and embrace them. They help keep us sane, and we’re going to need that sanity to get through the next four years. Instead of lingering on any of that, linger on joy. Linger on blessings. Linger on all that is still good in the world. Most of all, lean on yourselves and trust yourselves. You know best. Happy holidays, everyone. I will be return to bitching, moaning, and criticizing the incoming administration another day.

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