Thanksgiving may be your favorite holiday of the year.
Or, perhaps it ranks somewhere between Arbor Day and Columbus Day.
No matter how you view Thanksgiving, the day offers each of us the opportunity to take stock of our lives and all that we are grateful for. For many, the holiday also represents a day spent with family and friends away from the office.
If you are fortunate enough to get the day off work, be thankful for that if nothing else. Because there are people who are not so lucky.
Around the globe American armed forces personnel will be up and at em’ bright and early doing their duty to ensure the rest of us back home get to continue enjoying our Democracy. Their daily efforts to keep America the “Land of the Free” should not go unrecognized, especially on Thanksgiving.
Closer to home, a holiday doesn’t pause the need for police officers, EMS workers and firefighters – In fact, many times holiday weekends exacerbate the demand for emergency services. Undoubtedly, there will be 911 calls during the holiday and area first responders will leave their families to go help others.
And certainly not to be forgotten are the essential workers who will be doing their jobs on Thursday just like its business as usual. From retail workers, to restaurant staff, to hospital employees, there are blue collar folks who simply do not have the luxury of a day off. If you encounter anyone “on the clock” on Thanksgiving, thank them for their effort.
In a perfect world, every single American would get to sit down on Thursday afternoon, turn on a football game in the background, and gather with their loved ones for the year’s largest meal. But our world isn’t perfect, and it never will be. So to honor those who can’t take a day off to celebrate, we should all be extra appreciative of our blessings.
We at The Highlander hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving.