This week is a time to stop for a few moments, take a breath and realize what we are thankful for in our lives and community.
There are many here, though, who have the spirit of gratitude and giving in their hearts every day of the year.
We have volunteers in our soup kitchens who feed hungry people in need whether it is the holiday season or just a regular Tuesday. We have folks giving their time, money and energy to cook a community Thanksgiving meal at the Cornelia Community House on Thursday for folks to enjoy.
We have first responders putting their lives on the line and the sacrifice of time with their own families, especially at the holidays. We have military servicemen and women who have made those same sacrifices to protect our nation, even if many of them cannot come home and sit at the table with their loved ones to enjoy a slice or two of turkey.
Many of them have not come home at all, and for them paying the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, we are eternally grateful.
Sure, we are often dissatisfied with our political world, but are we not thankful for a democratic country with free and fair elections? In America, we are free to worship, gather and govern as we wish. America is still the country Pilgrims sailed here to find.
Last year was the 400th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving, and there should be no shortage of things we are thankful for as we gather around the table in this 401st year.
We survived a pandemic and came out stronger on the other side. We have overcome adversity to ensure that our schools and our businesses remain open and thrive.
This is all due to the heart and spirit of Americans, and in particular, the citizens of Habersham County. We are a proud community that has done much to help each other in times of need, and it is that strength we should all be thankful for in our lives.
If there is some way you can help our community this holiday season, please do not hesitate to do so. A life you touch will touch others, and those, others. We can change this world with one act of selflessness at a time.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.