’Round the River’s Bend by Jim and Pat Leaman
What a year this has been, and here we are already … Thanksgiving Day is upon us. We wrestled with this topic for a while, thinking that this year it would be difficult to write about Thanksgiving. It is really a lot easier than we thought. Family and friends are close to the very top of our “Be Thankful for” list this year. Our family has displayed a lot of patience with us this year, especially with this COVID virus thing happening. Ever since last March, everyone has the need to exercise extreme caution with each other. Pat and I are the family matriarch/ patriarch. As the oldest members of our immediate family, we are very aware of how we now must approach the social aspects of our position in the family. Since this whole thing started, we needed to change how and when we could visit with everyone and how and when they could visit with us. Our kids are faced with a new challenge as they can no longer say, “Hey, we haven’t visited mom and dad in a while. Let’s just drop in on the way over to the market.” At least, until we have a viable vaccination, we just can’t do that anymore, or at least we are not supposed to. We try to do the social distancing thing and wear our masks, but it feels like that is something that we just don’t want to do with our own family. Sometimes we are torn between wanting to safely distance or just run to them for hugs, especially the little ones. We really need to be more careful because we fall into the age group that categorizes us as “endangered species” with the COVID virus. But, then again, that is just one more thing to be thankful for. Let me explain, being able to live to become senior citizens and still maintaining reasonable health is a real blessing. Along with being thankful for family, we are thankful for our friends. It is always a joy to have the phone ring, and, when we answer, we are greeted with a voice from the not-so-distant past. Today’s technology allows us to keep up with our old friends, and even though we are separated by geographical distance, we can communicate by voice, messaging or “real time” chat, even using video. We can do this better and faster than anytime in human history. We are thankful for this. Since we are all still being advised to stay home, we know we can always resort to television as a way to relax, as long aswe avoid those
SEE RIVER’S BEND • PAGE B7
Elizabethville Echoes by Mina Buffington
The three Fs. Faith, Family and Friends! If I were to ask you what you are thankful for, I’m sure your first answer would be from one of these three things. That’s always a given with me, but I’d like to tell you some of the little things I’m thankful for. How about a good book. You can fall asleep, and when you wake up, you can pick up where you left off. If you watch a movie and fall asleep, you could miss the ending. There’s no missing the ending with a book. I’m thankful for comfortable shoes. Nothing feels right when your feet hurt. Comfy warm slippers are good too. I don’t need fancy shoes to make me happy. There is always something to be thankful for, even if it is not being a turkey. Remember that on Thanksgiving Day. Oh Thanksgiving Day! The smells of pumpkin spice and everything nice. My motto is “there’s always room for seconds, especially the stuffing! Leftovers are for quitters.” I’m thankful for Thanksgiving Day. This is the year 2020, and it’s not the year to get everything you want. This is the year to appreciate everything you have. These things are on my thankful list: music, a car that starts even on the coldest days, naps, hot chocolate, Hallmark movies with happy endings, good hair days, the smell of a vanilla candle, yogurt raisins (sugar free), my retirement from a job that I loved, my dog and I sharing the same chair, thankful that my trash can did not blow away on those windy days, many good memories, sun shining through my windows on a cold day, bananas and oatmeal, health care workers, first responders, fire fighters, police and so many more things. Be thankful every day for all of the little things. Thanksgiving Day is here to remind us to be thankful but not just on that day. Every day! A quote from Willie Nelson: “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” John F. Kennedy said: “We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” Erma Bombeck always had humor in her quotes: “Thanksgiving dinners take 18 hours to prepare. They are consumed in 12 minutes. Halftimes take 12 minutes. This is no coincidence!” Can you relate to that? Think of people who have lost jobs, are lonely, are not well or have had some tragedy in their lives this year. Give them something to be grateful for. Perhaps it is just a simple phone call. If you don’t know what to say, don’t worry. If they are lonely SEE ECHOES • PAGE B7