“A thought about Thanksgiving Day: once, there was this day when...everyone realized they needed each other.” - April Burns, Pieces of April
Tomorrow is going to look a lot different, there is no doubt about it. But let us be honest, the year 2020 has looked a lot different and that is something we cannot say enough.
Traditionally and technically speaking, Thanksgiving Day is a North American holiday marked by religious observances, but over the years has been cultivated with turkey dinners, football, and parades. (How American of us to bring football and commercialized parades into the mix.) Symbolically speaking, the holiday brings some of us to question what we are grateful for that year specifically. Of course, family and friends make the list for most with the addition of health and prosperity to some. Here is where we should look closely at these “traditions”, these “yearly happenings” that just manifest themselves every year without a second thought.
2020 has been symbolic, to say the least. Some would even go as far as to say that the hardships and never-before-seen’s this year has brought us was a message to wake us all up. While theories are opinionated and personal, you cannot help but wonder if the message was heard or not. The answer to that question is different for everyone in this country and throughout the world, but let us shine some light on what we have taken away from it.
This Thanksgiving holiday, let the word “gratitude” sink in more than usual. Those who make it a point to say that they are grateful for family and friends every year might find themselves among those who have lost such persons. Those who add prosperity to what they are thankful for every year might find themselves in between the job they lost this year and the job that is barely getting them by. As for health, it is as simple yet sobering as this: are you still alive and well? Are you still able to walk outside and breathe fresh air despite being quarantined for the last few months? If the answer is yes, let your gratitude speak volumes this year because there are over 250,000+ individuals in this country that cannot speak let alone answer “yes” at this very moment.
No matter how you choose to spend your Thanksgiving holiday, we hope you do it safely. If you are thinking about how not seeing family is going to affect you and your family, think about that all the more next year when Thanksgiving 2021 results in all your family members being present and not just “some.” Regardless of the differing opinions on the pandemic, we are greater as a whole and not the sum of its parts. Please remember that the long game is much greater than the short.
On a lighter note, perhaps you can finally take a crack at cooking the turkey you have always wanted to this year and Uncle Roger’s “deep-fried heart attack AKA turkey” can catch a much-needed break. Perhaps the hours and hours of cooking your mom or grandmother or aunt does every year will also get alleviated and they can spend more time with family or calling everyone to wish them a great holiday. And hey, not hearing all about your cousin’s fifth vacation to the Bahamas this year does not sound all that bad, does it? No one likes or needs a showoff.
Despite all the grief and the loss this year continues to bring, it is important now more than ever before to realize all that you do have and make it enough. Frankly speaking, all the trivial “first world problems” we think we have are a joke in comparison to what we really have to face together in the coming months and years after this. This world and its people are desperate to find something to hold onto and this Thanksgiving holiday, we hope you find your gratitude for the things you deem important in your life and hold onto them with everything you have.
We are extremely grateful that we were able to remain with you this year during the ups and downs. Our employees and our company have remained some of the lucky ones and we do not take that for granted. Our gratitude does not go without thanks to all of our customers because simply put, we would not be here without you. The Coin Vault does not remain so without the help of so many people and more than ever we were brought to realize that this year. So, 2020, in an odd turn of events, thank you. Thank you for reminding us that we are a team that does not succeed without everyone sitting at the table.
Finally, from our family here at The Coin Vault to yours, we hope you have a blessed and safe holiday full of gratitude.