Thanksgiving Thanks
The pandemic and political turmoil makes developing a list of thanks for the Thanksgiving table more difficult this year. Instead of being thankful, we are just wishing everything would go away.
There are some, of course, who should be very thankful. Those are the families who have avoided the pandemic with no family member being infected.
Those fortunate families, however, should include in their thanks words of sympathy for the more than one quarter million American families who have lost a family member to COVID-19.
We should also be thankful for still living in a free, democratic republic. Even if Donald Trump has to be forcibly removed from the White House by the Secret Service in January, that will be better than having a leadership change with gunfire between competing gangs.
A majority of Texans should be thankful that the state remained red through the last election. That means the state will be redistricted by a Republican controlled legislature next year. This should add two or three more Republicans to the federal House of Representatives and thus make Nancy Pelosi’s slim margin of votes even smaller.
Although the full effect will not be realized for months, do not forget Operation Warp Speed. This is the Trump operation under the command of an Army general that resulted in the development of a COVID vaccination in record time.
As of this writing, the Pfizer developed version is awaiting emergency approval by the FDA. Two others are in the nearby wings.
It will take three to six months to get these vaccines into the 320 million Americans who need it, but at least there is now a bright light at the end of the tunnel. For that, we should be very thankful.
Let’s not forget the radical Muslim terrorists. NO!, there are no thanks for them. What is thankful, however, is that there is a worldwide lull in the activities of these mad men and women.
The reason for this period of peace is not clear. Are the radicals being held in check by the same pandemic that is affecting the rest of the world? Or has the relentless worldwide war against them reduced the leadership ranks to the point of ineffectiveness?
Whatever the reason, the lull or, hopefully, the eradication is something to be very thankful for.
Finally, there are still the usual things for which to be thankful. Do not forget family, friends, and living in the United States of America.
So here’s the perspective.
Here is the biggest thanks of all. As mentioned in the first paragraph, the list was going to be short. Discussing those few items required a bit more than half of the words normally required for this column.
So be thankful that you can now get back to preparing for that family get together in a few days to give thanks for all our blessings.
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