Happy Thanksgiving!

An editorial from Steve McClure in today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News is quite appropriate:

One day for thanks is hardly enough

We take one day to stop and give thanks.

One day to be thankful that there’s a roof over our head and the furnace is putting out heat.

One day to wake up, take a deep breath and give thanks that we were able to wake up and take a deep breath.

One day to look across the table at a spouse or a child and murmur appreciation that they’re safe and they love us in return.

We set aside 24 hours to recognize that for all the hatred and contempt that’s found in all corners of the country, for all the violence and anger, we’re able to sit down with family and friends for a short prayer and a long conversation.

The rest of the year, we allow ourselves to be defined by our differences and divided up so others can feel good about themselves. We’ll be consumed by all that’s gone wrong — to ourselves and others — in an imperfect world that’s very well equipped to point out flaws and foibles.

We’ll kill ourselves financially to keep up with the Joneses without stopping to realize the bills have been paid and there’s food on the table.

Disagreements over petty differences are quickly ignited into heated arguments that rip apart friendships. Family squabbles can extend for years.

When we’re slighted, we’ll hold on to the anger just as long.

When we lose a loved one we’ll mourn for weeks and kick ourselves for not fully appreciating what someone meant to our lives.

But we set aside only one day to really express our thanks.

The table will be set today and plates will be filled, the quantity and quality of the dinner determined by circumstances far and wide. There might not be as much as there was in years past, but it’s warm and filling and was set in front of us by hands that work — and love — hard. There’s a good chance those hands will be there tomorrow, and the next day, and the next.

One day to say thanks?

It hardly seems enough.