Time to say thanks

This week we celebrate Thankgsiving, a uniquely American holiday.

It is a time to gather with family and friends, to reflect back on the past year, and to give thanks for all the good things in our lives.

There will be some empty places at the tables -- friends and family who are too far away, tied up with other obligations, or those who are no longer with us. Remember them, and enjoy the memories. Look around the table. There you will see many of those closest to your hearts. Enjoy them, and give thanks for their company.

Give thanks for the nation we live in. As a nation, we are not perfect, and we are often highly self-critical. But few nations try so hard to do what is right, and for all the faults we can quickly cite, is there really any other country in the world in which you'd prefer to live?

Give thanks for the bounty before you, and offer up a quick prayer to the hard-working farm and ranch families who make sure that Americans have more and better food to eat than any other nation on earth.

And finally, give thanks to our troops. For no matter how you feel about the war, they are doing their very dangerous jobs with skill and determination. We miss every one who is not home for Thanksgiving, to share this time with their families. And we offer our prayers for them.

It is somewhat fitting that the season that concludes with our celebration of Christ's birth should begin with a time of reflection and thanks.

May you all have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

-- Kelly Everitt