Editor’s Message

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“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” Psalm 28:7

Thanksgiving can change with us. It can endure wherever we are and whatever stage of life we are in.

I always thought of Thanksgiving as a “forever” holiday, something that endured from the time of the pilgrims. But Thanksgiving started out as an impromptu gathering of pilgrims and natives who brought what they had — game, fish, squash, cranberries — and gorged in peace. The pilgrims could officially give thanks to God too, for not starving to death in the New World that year, thanks to the guidance of the American Indians who taught them to farm indigenous crops.

While thanksgivings were celebrated after that, Thanks giving wasn’t declared a national holiday until President Lincoln made it so in 1863. The pilgrims' first Thanksgiving became part of American mythology in the decades that followed and part of our national identity and being.

As we prepare to enter the upcoming holiday season in this most tumultuous of years, there are many things to be grateful for. Our families and friends. Our health. Our democracy. Even as our lives continue to be affected by external forces beyond our control, some things remain constant.

The global pandemic has given us all pause, and an opportunity to recognize and appreciate areas of our lives we might have taken for granted. Everyone is making some changes in the upcoming holidays from their own family traditions.

Even with all the chaos 2020 has presented us with, there is still so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I would even argue one of the greatest gifts this challenging year has given us is a new perspective on the things we have been taking for granted all this time. A new perspective on just how grateful we are and should be for the simplest of things.

And while many are still struggling this Thanksgiving, I hope you take a moment and practice some gratitude for all the lessons 2020 has brought us. And if you are in the mood for spreading some gratitude around, consider sending those in senior residential facilities cards reminding them they are remembered and missed. Many will be without family and loved ones this year.

Remember - Thanksgiving isn’t just a day – it is a way of life.