HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. On the face of it, that seems a silly concept. Every day should be a day of thanksgiving. For me, I am thankful for so much. 

 

I'll start with my life. I have had and continue to have a great life. I am 81 years old and have shared many of those years, 59 to be exact, with my life partner, Linda. Together we produced two children with whom we are extremely proud. 

 

Our son, Stephen, is a commercial artist who lives in Alaska with his wife Sam. Yes, that's her name. Both of them are very talented artists who create beautiful art in carvings, pictures, and textiles. Our only problem is that they live so far away and we don't get to see them nearly often enough. 

 

Our daughter, Heather, lives with her husband Jimmy here in Brunswick, Georgia. They too are very talented. They own their own insurance company. They are quite successful and get to work together. For some that would be difficult. Not for them. They excel in their work together.  

 

Our two grandchildren, Nic and Scout, have left the nest and are out seeking their fortune. We wish them success and believe they will find it. 

 

Now, who couldn't be thankful for all that?

 

As we sit together tomorrow for our traditional feast, we will be mindful of those who aren't so fortunate. There are so many opportunities available today. There are more jobs than people to fill them. Covid is basically behind us. Life will return to normal. Right now, anybody who doesn't have a job doesn't want one. 

 

Politically we are in a difficult place. Biden and Harris are suffering terrible poll numbers. It's called "buyer's remorse ". I am thankful that there will be another election next year and the cleanup will begin. 

 

The world continues to deal with issues from disease to hunger. Added to that is radicalism of every sort. In many cases it is religious and in others it is socialism. People yearn to be free. Freedom is the natural state of being for people. Authoritarianism flies in the face of that desire for freedom but in the final analysis, freedom wins. 

 

Of course evil still exists in the world today. We need to deal with it when we find it. And we will. 

 

But this column is about thankfulness. Look around you. See how blessed you are. Yes, there is sickness but, never in our history has there been better medicine and medical treatment. There are pain relievers available. There are surgical repairs that fix broken bones as well as removing offending germs and viruses. We are all living longer and healthier than ever. We all should be very thankful for advances in medical treatment. 

 

Now as I sit here, my house smells like Thanksgiving. Turkey stuffed with cornbread dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, to be topped off with the king of southern desserts, pecan pie. Or, as it is sometimes called down here, Karo nut pie. Am I thankful? You bet I am. 

 

As soon as the dishes are cleaned up, we start putting up Christmas decorations. We put traditional Christmas music on the system. Spirits are lifted. Smiles prevail. Love is everywhere. Yes, we are thankful and we wish for you those same blessings. 

 

And we are thankful for you, our readers. We appreciate your thoughtful comments and your continued readership. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

 

Ron Scarbro Thanksgiving 2021