Maybe it’s age or maybe a different aspect of how we view the world, but this Thanksgiving it is clearer than ever that the main thing we can possess to give thanks for is surely good health.

Most other things we are able to control more easily than what turn our health might take each year.

Oh yes, things like losing weight or not smoking are always recommended, as is less alcohol consumption and more exercise. But the reality of how little control we really have comes into focus with the diagnosis of some illnesses or cancers that have nothing to do with our lifestyle, ancestry or choices.

Sometimes it is just so random and unsuspected that it is truly terrifying and most difficult to accept.

Why does someone who has never smoked still get lung cancer, while the guy next door smokes two packs a day and doesn’t suffer from it? How can a seemingly healthy person in the prime of life, with no visible signs of illness, suddenly find herself in a battle for her life?

If only we had those answers, maybe the world would change. Perhaps the best thing we can give Thanks for is that we live in a time and country where there are no restrictions on Hope.

Hope to us is a way of believing that miracles can and do happen. Without Hope, where would we be?

For many of us, that goes hand in hand with our belief in there being someone greater than us with control over our destiny and a plan for the future now and in the next life.

Where there is no hope, there can be no good days or good times. We have hope for the future for our families, our community and our nation.

Let us put aside for the next few days our political, philosophical and religious differences and be truly thankful for the life we have here in the United States, as imperfect as we may feel it us.

Be thankful for our families and the health of each member of those families.

May your Thanksgiving Day 2022 be one of joy. And may the days, months and years to follow be a blessing unto you.

— RV