Among other things

Let’s be thankful

Sometimes you might think that bad news is the order of the day. The media keeps us all advised of the latest political bickering, posturing, scandals and dangers of too much or too little government, the dismal unemployment picture, struggling economy, floods, earthquakes, terrorism threats, domestic violence, high gasoline and heating oil prices, automobile recalls, wars and rumors of wars, and now there’s the squabble over airport full body screening and/or pat downs.

I recall part of an old country song. I think it was called “Life gets tedious, don’t it?” The words went something like, “The cow’s gone dry, the hens won’t lay, and the fish quit biting last Saturday; you just can’t depend on nothin’. Life gets tedious, don’t it?”

An update might be: The computer won’t compute and the toner won’t tone, the printer don’t print, the spellchecker can’t spell. The car’s broke down, the tires have gone flat, the windshield wiper won’t wipe, the ignition won’t ignite, the carburetor won’t carb, and the pistons – they won’t work either.

And the Bobcats beat the Griz. You just can’t depend on anything. Unless you’re a Bobcat fan, that is.

But guess what? Despite all the gloom and doom, our blessings far outweigh all the shortcomings. That’s why we have Thanksgiving Day. It’s an opportunity to focus in on the many things that are right: This valley in which we are privileged to live with its fertile fields, magnificent mountains, Flathead Lake, rivers and streams and clean air.

We are thankful for family, friends, food, jobs, new career opportunities, technological breakthroughs, schools, churches, elections – even though not everyone can be happy over the outcomes; caring communities in which citizens respond generously to neighbors in need; excellent medical facilities, dependable emergency responders, and much, much more.

We really can depend on things and people.

Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving Day, 2010.