Thanksgiving expressions

Editor’s Note: A version of this editorial first appeared in 2010.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. It’s centered on a great American pastime, eating, and one of the better virtues of the human spirit — being appreciative for the blessings bestowed upon us. It also consists of long family weekends together, shopping, ball games, and relaxing with family and friends. All in all, this is a holiday that can be as hassle-free, or hassle-filled, as we choose to make it.

We choose to make it the moment in which it was intended, by offering up a few expressions of thanks:

We’re thankful, not for this long-lasting economic stagnation, but for the fact that it hasn’t been worse. Most of us still have jobs and a little money in our pockets, and to those who don’t we hope your lot in life gets better soon. After all, we’re better off, as a people, a community, a nation and world, if we all rise together. That said, we’re also grateful for the interconnectedness of humanity.

We’re thankful that we live in a generous community. Here in Las Vegas, people share what they have. Maybe that’s what leads us to bicker so often — we know that we’re all in it together. Yes, violent crime is far too prevalent, and our political debates are often counterproductive, but perhaps we can all agree that our community is dominated by warm-hearted, caring people. Friends, family and neighbors — we should all be thankful for how they make our lives better.

We are thankful for problem-solvers. It’s an old but true adage that you can be part of the solution or part of the problem, and while our community has plenty of problems, we also have people who voluntarily put themselves on the hot seat to be part of the solution.

The mayor, council members, commissioners, school board members and countless volunteers do what they can to improve northern New Mexico. And while we don’t always agree with them, we’re glad they’re willing to step forward and lead.

And, of course, there are the basic necessities of life: food on our tables, roofs over our heads, clothes on our back. We are thankful for all these things, and for those who make and provide them.

We live in a world full of troubles, but we earnestly believe that there’s more good than bad out there. We can’t prove it, but we believe it — and we hope you do too. That’s a big something to be thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. We hope you enjoy the holiday in the spirit in which it was intended.