I ran the following Thanksgiving message here one year ago. For those who read it then or since, I beg your indulgence. The example may be a year old but I hope you agree that the sentiment is timeless. To everyone, have a happy and healthy holiday.
We had a runoff election in my small Connecticut town on Tuesday. The two candidates had finished in a dead heat on November 2. On Saturday, across from the high school football field, I noticed one of the two candidates waving to passersby, his wife (or maybe a campaign worker) waving at his side. He won the runoff a few days later.
Yesterday, as I was making a last-minute run to the supermarket for Thanksgiving provisions, I noticed the winning candidate stooping to pick up his campaign signs from a supporter’s front lawn. He was alone, his car parked in the driveway next door. It was a small act for sure, but a telling one. The morning after, no doubt still basking in his victory, he was out doing the dirty work himself, no campaign helper in site.
The scene was one tiny reminder of the huge contributions selfless people make to the health of our communities and our nation — local town councilmen and women, the brave men and women serving in the armed forces, the nurses and doctors in emergency rooms and the countless millions whose names we will never know but who labor without public recognition or year-end bonuses.
The louder the Washington pols and media extremists shout, the more the quiet ones stand in contrast, the ones who actually get things done. For them, we should give thanks.