Despite the state of the nation, plenty of reasons to give thanks

 

At times over the last couple of years, it’s seemed like a cruel joke to suggest that the country can pause one day to give thanks, and that’s still difficult to do.
Let’s face it: We’re still impossibly mired in a deadly pandemic that seems like it will never end, thanks in large part to the selfish millions and millions of people who defiantly refuse to be vaccinated and who won’t wear masks or take other precautions in crowded spaces to defeat this lethal and insidious virus.
We’re so fractured as a nation this Thanksgiving Day that even the hint of compromise politically brings death threats to the moderate politicians who courageously put the importance of accomplishing goals for the betterment of the nation above party.
The destructive philosophies of the far left and far right --- both of whom are risking leading the nation down the road to civil war --- are not only hurting the country, but they're ignoring the moderate majority in the middle. Moderates yearn for the politicians running the nation and our states to just do their jobs responsibly, and stop trying to please the extremists on the right and left.
Yet, easily lost in all this despair is that there are still a lot of good people around. And, although it’s hard to believe, the country is better off than it was last year as far as the pandemic goes --- though you'd never believe that if you spend your time glued to the cable news stations and the nightly newscasts.
So take a day off from listening to the news and its non-stop drumbeat of negative doom and gloom --- and stop following those mostly destructive and negative social media apps that are replete with threats and misinformation --- and take time out to give thanks.

This column was published in the November 2021 edition of Jewish Rhode Island of Providence, R.I.

It’s no secret that the country is as divided, broken and as far from even a semblance of unity as we’ve been in more than a half-century, since the height of the Vietnam War.
We’ve been headed in that direction for a long time, and the pandemic --- instead of bringing us together to fight the deadly but silent foe of COVID-19, which has claimed more than 750,000 Americans since the winter of 2020 --- has only made us even more fractured.
We’ve regrettably become such a bitter nation that we’re now divided by regions over receiving the vaccines that could have saved thousands of lives, but which millions still stubbornly refuse to take.
In the midst of such crazy times, it might defy common sense to take time out to give thanks, but it’s more imperative than ever that we do just that later this month. We need to preserve that American tradition on the fourth Thursday of November, not only to maintain our sanity, but also to set the record straight that it’s not all bad out there --- that there are still many positives that deserve our gratitude.
I did just that recently after recovering from my first illness since the pandemic started, a very bad cold. My ailment gave me a chance to reflect on several things that I’ll be grateful for when I sit down to celebrate Thanksgiving, and then light the first Hanukkah candle three nights later. (Yes, the Festival of Lights will once again be observed very close to Thanksgiving.) I’ll be thankful for:
* A return to full health.
* All the doctors, nurses and countless other health care professionals who have given so much to allow daily life to continue during these challenging, and too often horrifying, times.
* My wife for not kicking me out of the house when my cold was keeping me up nights, and special thanks to her for whipping up several pots of chicken soup. (Full disclosure: I slept and ate separately and wiped the computer mouse down repeatedly with disinfectants.)
* My friends and family for sending me encouraging texts and emails.
* The return of the Boston Marathon to an in-person race after going  virtual in September 2020 after being first postponed and then canceled that year.
The marathon’s comeback on Oct. 11 was vitally important to the region because it kept alive the notion that a sense of normalcy is an achievable goal. The race also proved that, with the significant COVID-19 protocols put into place by the Boston Athletic Association (BAA), the longtime organizers of the race, life was able to spring back to Boston.
Several Southeastern Massachusetts runners whom I interviewed for an assignment for another publication were full of gratitude for being able to be back on the course after being forced to run Boston’s virtual marathon last year, which meant running by themselves or with friends somewhere other than the marathon course.
In addition, the runners were ecstatic to be cheered on by the legendary crowds. Their return was significant; the spectators’ enthusiasm has always motivated and inspired the runners on their difficult 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston, and their appearance shouldn’t be underestimated. Being able to have people cheering on the runners was one more positive sign that we’ll eventually be able to put the pandemic behind us.
* People who don’t follow sports won’t understand why I’ll give thanks for the post-season run by the 2021 Boston Red Sox, but the team brought a lot of happiness to a region that hasn’t seen much since the winter of 2020.
The Red Sox’ success --- which was largely unexpected after they blew a substantial lead in the American League Eastern Division back in August and had to win their last three games of the regular season just to qualify for the playoffs --- lifted our spirits.
What the Sox accomplished before losing the American League Championship Series to the Houston Astros --- beating their arch-rival New York Yankees in the winner-take-all Wild Card game and then defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Divisional Series with two walk-off wins in the 13^th and ninth innings in Games 3 and 4 at Fenway Park --- will keep fans warm during those cold January nights.
* Last --- but not least --- I’ll be grateful that I live in a country that made those life-saving vaccines available in record time. Without them, there’d be no hope of ever seeing the pandemic disappear, but because of them, there is hope for the future.
And hope is the most precious thing of all worth celebrating this Thanksgiving.
LARRY KESSLER (larrythek65@gmail.com) is a freelance writer based in North Attleboro. He blogs at larrytheklineup.blogspot.com