published: Wednesday, November 14, 2012

While time flies there is much to be grateful for

Is it just us, or has 2012 passed quicker than a mayfly's life span?

Wasn't Easter just two weeks ago, and Memorial Day the week after that? Or was that the 4th of July?

Already November is almost half over. Thanksgiving is only eight days away, for goodness sake.

Scarier is the fact that Christmas is just -- are you ready for this? -- 41 days away, and 2013 comes only a week later.

Where did 2012 go?

With time flying like a plane from the bombing range, we may forget to count our blessings this year, especially because so many of us have fewer blessings to count.

The fact is, however, there is much for which we should be grateful. While our nation faces challenges in a troubled world, we are still a strong and resilient people; creative and energetic. The News-Sun has confidence we are at the beginning of a healthier future, not in our last days of glory.

Take the three high school bands which played together at the Veteran's Day Service Monday. We can be grateful we have so many wonderful young people who work hard at making a beautiful sound, and who can come together and perform as one unit -- without any rehearsal, by the way.

We can be grateful for all the volunteers in our community -- hundreds of them make organizations like Habitat for Humanity or the Humane Society possible and provide comfort at both local hospitals. These generous people are our scout leaders, classroom helpers and student mentors. They make events like Run to the Heartland, or Springtime on the Mall, or the Caladium Festival successful, not to mention Toys for Tots, Relay for Life and the Alzheimer's walk.

We can be grateful for this nation's entrepreneurs who are busy inventing the next big breakthrough or building the businesses that will create jobs in the future.

We can be grateful that our soldiers, sailors and marines have begun to come home.

We can be grateful we live in one of the few countries that protects freedom of speech. In Thailand, for example, you can be thrown in jail if you insult the king, even if the king never knows he was insulted. Here we can call the president anything we wish, whenever we want.

Speaking of free speech, we can be grateful we'll be free of political ads in 2013.

So, while time flicks by with the speed of a rattlesnake's tongue don't let Thanksgiving rush right you by.

Now is the time to remember what is good and strong about the American people, and keep it in mind.