Thanksgiving has always been a time that my wife and I enjoy. We love getting to spend time with family, eat good food, and have a break from school or work. A shorter school break will occur this year during a time of COVID-19 and medical school commitments. That being said, we will be thankful for what we have been able to do this year despite the different hurdles that have arisen in our path. Traditionally we get to celebrate with all of our family members devouring large amounts of food. Though that may not happen to the same caliber this year, we can still be just as grateful for how we have been blessed.
A Smaller Group
With COVID-19 infecting different parts of the United States, we are being influenced to keep our gatherings to a minimum. Many of my friends have had their Thanksgiving plans cancelled or changed to cut down to a small group size. This will cause them to miss seeing some of their more distant relatives in an effort to follow the set guidelines. This is a sad time for most, especially those who haven’t seen each other since last Christmas.
The time that people have been apart from relatives has taken a toll on them mentally. We have a large number of older members that have been mostly isolated from the outside world, and they will now miss getting to see their family members at this holiday. For some, the isolation has now been for 7+ months which is a very long time apart from closer family members and friends.
Minimized Family
We have been urged by our local governments to cut down the sizes of our gatherings in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. This doesn’t mean that we can’t have a celebration, but we are supposed to limit our gathering sizes. If you are from a larger family, this can leave out family members from celebrating. Smaller families may not feel this as much, but larger families will for sure. One of my friends is from a large family that is sprawled out across the Midwestern United States. They have made the decision to keep separate for Thanksgiving. There will be no gathering, family reunion, or time where they will all see each other this season.
Giving Thanks
There are a lot of things that we are thankful for this year, despite the plan changes due to Covid-19. Here are some things that I am thankful for this year. Hopefully some of the things that have blessed me, have blessed you as well.
- We have a home.
- This may seem like a given, but there are a lot of people in the United States right now that do not have a home. They may have lost their job or home due to uncontrolled circumstances and are trying to make it daily.
- We have family.
- Not everything that our families do is what we want, but they are doing what they think is best for us. We know that we can call on them if we need help and they will try. The current events with COVID-19 will keep us from seeing some of our family members, but they know we still love them.
- We have food on the table.
- I have been fortunate enough to work during this national COVID-19 fiasco without interruptions. I know people close to me that have not been able to keep their jobs or remain at work. Unemployment has struck a lot of families this year and will affect them through the holidays.
- We have grown closer together.
- With the COVID-19 circumstances around us we have been able to spend more time together. We took walks, rode bikes, and watched movies together quite a bit this year. Without being able to travel or shop as much this year, we have been pushed to find things we enjoy together.
- We have amenities.
- As always, one of my favorite responses to “what are you thankful for?” is indoor plumbing and air conditioning. These are things that we take for granted in our everyday lives. Not having to haul water or leave our climate conditioned home to use the bathroom is an amenity that most of us can’t imagine living without. In the heat of summer we have the ability to crank the ac so it’s icy in our homes and cars. Some amenities I greatly appreciate.
Final Thoughts
Many people have lost a great deal this year. Some have lost jobs, homes, or family members. If this is the case for you, I believe you still have a lot going for you. We have a lot of good things going for us. We are truly and deeply blessed even if we don’t see it at first. I urge you to take some time to think about all of the ways you have been fortunate this year.
To finish off this post I would like to remind you to call, text, email, or video chat with those family members that can’t make it to your gathering. It may have a huge positive impact on their mental health. It will also show them that you are thinking of them and give you an opportunity to let them know you appreciate them. We want to be together with our families, but the circumstances are not in our favor this year.
We will have to hope things improve and re-evaluate the state of our country come Christmas time.
Happy Thanksgiving Eve.