FOR many Americans, this Thanksgiving doesn’t feel like a holiday.
Rather than gathering around dinner tables with loved ones, most conversations and meals are being shared over livestreams and phone calls today.
Societal norms have again been put on hold, causing families to make tough decisions in the interest of public health.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many — especially the elderly and immunocompromised — to exercise extra caution this year, as doing the alternative could prove fatal.
It’s a sacrifice that needs to be made in many cases, but it doesn’t make the reality of the situation any easier.
This year has been difficult for many, and will continue to test us for the foreseeable future.
While 2020 has proven to be one of the most trying periods of our lifetime, there’s still plenty to be thankful for today.
At the top of the list is the reality that manufacturers are on the brink of mass producing a vaccine for COVID-19. U.S. officials have said they hope to have about 20 million vaccine doses each from Moderna Inc. and Pfizer available for distribution in late December before starting to distribute the vaccine to the public.
Bartholomew County residents already know where they will be able to get the shot when it’s approved and distributed, as Columbus Regional Health has been selected as one of nearly 50 future vaccination sites in the state.
Many local families can also feel thankful for their neighbors today, as the giving season has already begun.
Hundreds of Thanksgiving meals have been delivered by a handful of groups, making celebrations possible for those that have fallen on especially hard times.
Efforts are also underway to provide children with gifts and families with meals for Christmas.
Modern technology has also made it possible for us to connect loved ones virtually like never before today, a luxury those that lived through the 1918 pandemic did not have.
The next few months will continue to be tough, but the community will find a way to get through it and come back stronger than ever.
While it’s easy to dwell over all that has gone wrong this year, today offers a time to reflect on the good that’s still happening all around us.
