Weekly Column: Freedom to Be Thankful

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By July, Halloween candy fills the shelves at Target, Wal-Mart and our local grocery stores. And before our kids can say "Trick or Treat," you can find Christmas decorations everywhere with almost no mention of turkeys or cornucopias -- unless we're talking about taking advantage of the early bird holiday sales that is. It shouldn't be that way. We should have the freedom to be thankful.

No, the world hasn't necessarily dealt us a perfect hand this year. Sioux Falls was hit by an ice storm that left tens of thousands without power for several days. In October, west river was hit with an unprecedented blizzard that impacted the livelihoods of hundreds more. But the power did came back on and we have friends and neighbors rallying around those impacted by Winter Storm Atlas, donating money and offering a shoulder to lean on.

Yes, the nation's economy has failed to recover. The country's unemployment rate seems to rise unrelentlessly. But like the portrait Norman Rockwell painted during the Great Depression, many of us will still gather together this Thanksgiving with others. For at least a moment, we will focus on being thankful for our blessings.

And of course, partisanship sometimes seems to have stalled progress in our federal government. But our country still recognizes the freedom of speech. We can vote and when a new voice comes to power, we are confident that violent riots won't erupt on the streets. We can vocally disagree and then come together at the same dinner table on Thanksgiving to break bread with "the other side."

Still, not all our sons and daughters will be home this Thanksgiving. They will be serving their country in Afghanistan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and elsewhere. But the bombs and missiles that fall across the Middle East are far removed from our homes, schools, and places of worship. We must be thankful that we have a freedom from that kind of fear because of their service and the sacrifices made by all our veterans.

And when all else fails, here in America, we have the freedom to worship.

This Thanksgiving, let us pause before the holiday shopping season sets in to give thanks for the food, family, friends, and fellowship that surround us on this day.

Let us be grateful for those who are overseas maintaining our liberty, defending our freedom of speech and worship, and fighting to make sure we are free from fear.

Let us give thanks. After all, we have so much to be grateful for.

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