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The Thanksgiving season is a wonderful time of the year, and we should never tire of giving thanks on this glorious holiday for the many good things that come our way.

I’m thankful for the wonderful season of the year that culminates with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s all packed into a five-week period in which the partying seems never to end.

I’m thankful for the charitable organizations that try to bring holiday joy to those in need; a meal here, a toy there, and prayers and messages of peace and Thanksgiving for all.

I’m thankful for the goodwill and good tidings that friends heap on neighbors for the holidays.

I’m thankful for the many professors in our state’s communities, the scientists and researchers whose daily toil may make life better in so many ways for us all.

I’m thankful for Steve and Tracey Stice, co-founders of Aruna Bio on the University of Georgia campus. Their research focused on the rehabilitation and treatment of strokes brings about rave review not only within the UGA academic community but also nationally and internationally.

I’m thankful for the bright students who are enrolled in the School of Social Work.  Likely, they will never own condos at an exclusive beach resort or drive a Mercedes Benz coupe but will get the ultimate emotional fulfillment from their altruistic work.

I’m thankful for country roads on the backside of rural counties where there are clapboard churches with modest steeples where humble congregations sing songs such as “Whispering Hope,” and “Shall we Gather at the River.”

I’m thankful for the farmers of our state and their labors to make our day at mealtime.  Many of them are reeling from being blindsided by recent hurricanes.  Keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

I’m thankful for “Georgia Grown” products in our state which rank among the best in the world and salute Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper for the work he does in promoting what our enterprising farmers produce.

I’m thankful for the Okefenokee Swamp and its pristine environment and urge you to speak out against the mining interests which countless scientists say will bring consequential harm to the Swamp and our environment.

I’m thankful for weekend gatherings with friends when Stripling’s sausage is on the menu for breakfast, accompanied by cheese and eggs, Mayhaw jelly from Colquitt; followed by a vegetable lunch and a Bubba Burger on the grill for dinner—all Georgia products that rank with the best.

I’m thankful for the voices of children at recess during their school day as they play with energy and compatibility. Those sounds bring pause to your routine as their laughter lifts upward, reminding us that we should never neglect them.

I’m thankful for the Golden Isles of our state, the barrier islands and the opportunity to fish its waters which yield trout and bass which provide the most tasting and fulfilling meals.  (I am happy to salute the memory of John Donaldson, former Georgia player and coach, who took me fishing for many years in those creeks, never coming home with an empty cooler.)

I’m thankful for high school coaches who coach and teach for the right reason, to help kids grow and develop; coaches who will never sign a million-dollar contract, who will never be given a new car, but will find great reward in helping a kid realize his/her potential and contribute to society.

I’m thankful for the Pine Mountain Range on the west side of our state which is one of the prettiest places in Georgia.  Its beauty enraptured President Franklin D. Roosevelt and is one of the few areas where you might find a chestnut tree.

I’m thankful for loblolly pines, Little St. Simons Island, the University of Georgia Redcoat Band, the UGA chapel bell ringing after victory on Saturday, strawberry ice cream pie at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education, and grandchildren.   

I’m thankful to be an American.