Amanda Cade

It’s Thanksgiving week here in the United States, and because it’s 2020, many of us are planning for celebrations that will look very different than in years past. My family, for example, will be eating in separate houses with Zoom running, then meeting up in my sister’s backyard to have a socially distanced dessert (made possible by her firepit and a couple of portable heaters). Then we’ll mask up for a little more conversation.

It isn’t how we would have wanted things, of course, but with Covid cases rising and the CDC issuing holiday warnings, we’ve decided to make sure we protect something we’re all very thankful for: our continued health.

In this difficult year, it can be hard to find gratitude, but I hope that all of you are actively seeking it. While the “new normal” is definitely getting old, and we’ve all missed out on a lot of things, I’m focusing on what I have and what is really important. I’m grateful to be employed, to be safe, to be able to stay connected to friends and family, and to have had an unexpected opportunity to really examine my life and my priorities.

I’m also grateful for resilience, support, and the knowledge that, as my mother so eloquently put it, “We’ll all come out the other side, and when we do, we’ll have a new appreciation for so many things we might have taken for granted before.”

Be positive, be well, and be thankful.

What are you thankful for this year?