There have been a lot of changes and a lot of uncertainty over the past several months. That’s why we are even more grateful this year for our blessings. It may seem hokey, but in hindsight we’ve been counting our blessings throughout the year. Now is simply the time to focus our energy on and turn our minds toward being grateful – for both the little things and the big things.
We are thankful for our healthcare professionals who have continued to tirelessly treated patients, provided comfort and advice, and sacrificed time away from their families so that the members of other families can be treated well.
We are thankful for producers and workers across the industries who provide the country with food, mail, medicine, and other essential items to cover the basic needs of fellow Americans and American businesses, especially when there were restrictions to deal with.
We are thankful for RV owners who donated their RVs to healthcare professionals and essential workers so that they could have safe, comfortable spaces to live in order that their families could be better protected.
We are thankful for the teachers who have bent over backwards to try to make virtual learning effective for their students, and who have shown up to teach their in-person classes.
We are thankful for the RV manufacturers and dealers who continued to produce and sell RV units during all this uncertainty so that folks who were looking for a way to escape could find a unit they loved and go on vacation or use the new space as an office.
We are thankful for the restaurants, museums, attractions, and countless other businesses for working with restrictions and making the effort to provide virtual tours and host virtual or outdoor events. There has been a lot of new creative ideas.
We are thankful for all the modes of communication available to us to stay connected with friends and family – phones, Zoom, and video chat. We can “see” people even when we can’t be in the same room, and we can talk whenever we wish. This is a big step up from simply writing letters back and forth.
We are thankful for the Michigan DNR, who waived entrance fees at state parks from March to June this year so that more people could have outlets for getting out and explore the beauty of our state.
We are thankful for the beautiful natural resources of Michigan, as it was much easier to social distance as well as “get away” from the troubles and worries of the world. We get to enjoy lakes, rivers, waterfalls, sand dunes, old growth forests, biking trails, hiking trails, water trails… we really do have it all right out our front door.
We are thankful for the each and every person who donated their time and resources to help others in their community who were in need of assistance. We know of some of the stories on a national level, but we’ve all encountered some of the best acts of kindness by those around us in our own communities. The people who see a need, fill a need. The ones who make lemonade from lemons.
We are thankful that we are coming to the end of 2020 and that we can start the year anew, 2021, in just a few short weeks. Let’s look ahead with optimism and hope, continue to help those around us, and of course, happily anticipate another season of camping and RVing.