by John McLoone

This has been quite a year.

This Thanksgiving, it may not seem like it, but we have more now to be thankful for than ever before.

We’ve made it this far in 2020, and we’ve learned a lot about ourselves and even more about our community.

On a personal level, we’ve found that we can survive in masks, and we can take actions still for the Greater Good. We’ve really learned again what the Greater Good is. In America especially, we’ve taken for granted all of those that work tirelessly behind the scenes to make our communities work.

This year, they’re in the spotlight more so than ever, and Thank God for them! We’re abundantly thankful for the dedication some have shown to get us this far.

The obvious ones are our doctors and our nurses and all medical workers. It’s the person who has to check you in at the doctor’s office. It’s the receptionist who made you promise you didn’t have a fever when you walked through the door. We can’t thank you all enough, and we appreciate you being there for us.

Think about those people who work for Public Health. They literally have had no life other than fighting this blasted pandemic all year. They’ve worked to warn us. They’ve chastised us. They’ve made some rules that some haven’t liked. But they’re ultimately making an enormous sacrifice for the good of the community. They’ve given guidance that lets us do some things that make our life feel like “normal.” They’ve made sure it’s safe to shop and to gather, albeit with social distancing.

Our schools have been the backbone of our communities, this year especially. One administrator described this year as being in a non-fire drill. Schools have changed and adapted. In the spring, with little warning, schools were forced to become virtual. Not a problem! In the spring, they delivered meals to families . In the summer, they did what they could to continue educational programming. There are a lot of people working incredibly hard to make sure our children are still getting top-notch education. Some weeks it may be at home, some weeks it’s back at school. It’s working, and how amazing is that?

How about our public servants? With care and compassion, police and rescue workers are being forced to face the mental health crises COVID-19 is leaving in its wake. It’s a tough year for a lot of us. We’re grateful for the wonderful people who put on that uniform every day and watch over us and keep us safe in so many ways.

Our local governments have had to change the way they do businesses. The election this month alone was a testament to the hard work and dedication of people that one reason they hold their job is that they really love the community and they care what happens.

Our elected officials sprang into action, showing that they can – sometimes – work together when we need them to most. They put out grant programs to keep our businesses afloat.

None of us probably ever dreamt that we’d be experiencing what we’re experiencing on a daily basis. Yet, for most of us all we’re experiencing is the inconvenience of having to wear a mask in public. And that’s because of everything being done to keep us