By Randy Bradford

I really dread this time of year. Everything is so dark and dreary. Even the time change, rather than making me feel like I’ve gained another hour, makes me feel still more tired and lethargic. The leaves on the ground serve only to remind me that winter is still a long ways off, which makes spring even farther away; forget about summer.

However, it is and must become, a time of preparation. It is a time to fix all the last minute niggling details of things that remain undone before winter truly sets upon us. It is a time of feeling like you forgot something, something important and you know only too well you will suffer for it, if you don’t remember it. It is a time of pressure.

Yet I can’t help thinking, if I still lived on the farm, it would be a time of harvest, a time of gathering in, a time of community coming together to help each other complete all those niggling little details that hang over all our heads. Those are the thoughts that keep me hopeful, strong, and grateful as we head toward the ultimate American expression of autumn before we settle into the bone-chilling cold of winter. It is a time of thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is truly a paradigm of American hard work and virtue. The idea of giving thanks for the bounty provided to us may have begun with English transplants looking for a place to worship God in their own fashion; grateful to the Native Americans who helped to feed them, but has now become our only true American holiday that doesn’t revolve around consumerism. No hearts, no flowers, no presents; just family, friends, and food, all wrapped in a cloak of thankfulness to someone or something greater than ourselves.

No matter what your world view, it is a good thing to take stock of what we have and be thankful of it and for it. Those are the thoughts that keep me thankful all year long, even when I don’t act like it.

As we near the coming holidays, I’m especially thankful this year for the men and women serving our country, both those in harm’s way and those who remain stationed at home. Abraham Lincoln first formalized Thanksgiving as a way of reuniting a nation recently divided by a Civil War. We can use this Thanksgiving as a time of reflection on American unity both past and present. No matter what your feelings about the current administration or the war on terror, our armed forces are people who deserve our gratitude and our thanks. They are performing a tough mostly thankless job, far from their homes and families for not a lot of money. The least we can do is thank them, pray for them, and give them respect.

So, as you sit around the family dining table this Thanksgiving holiday, set a place for a soldier, sailor, or marine. Remember their sacrifices as the first Thanksgiving celebrants remembered those of the Native Americans who aided them. Be thankful that we have people in this country willing to serve in our stead to defend our homes, families and businesses. Happy Thanksgiving!

Randy Bradford lives in Oak Harbor.