It may not seem like it, but today we have much for which to be thankful.

Sure, it’s easy to get bogged down with all that seems to be wrong with 2020. We have spent months limiting our activities and travels, hoping to somehow avoid contracting or spreading the coronavirus that arrived in our region even before spring had sprung.

Wildfires ravaged much of Australia and the American West. A massive explosion killed or injured scores of people in Beirut and destroyed a large swath of the city. Typhoons in the Pacific and hurricanes in the Atlantic wreaked havoc.

Here at home, controversial police shootings sparked widespread civil unrest as we navigated one of the most contentious presidential elections in our history. Even today, weeks after Election Day, President Donald Trump has yet to concede to the apparent victor, former Vice President and Democrat Joe Biden, as Trump’s legal team continues efforts to challenge the results in court.

All in all, those things and more add up to a year that has proven to be rather exhausting.

Today, however, most Americans will be able to pause and reflect on the good things in life — the things for which we can and should be grateful.

Many can be thankful that they or a loved one survived and recovered from the virus that causes COVID-19. Others can be thankful that they have so far managed to avoid it. We all can be thankful that several promising vaccines are in development and nearly ready to distribute.

We can be thankful that we live in a nation where the people still have the right and the ability to vote for the way we wish to be governed. And we should be thankful for the roofs over our heads, the feasts on our tables and the technology that has allowed many of us to work remotely through the pandemic, thus helping to keep everyone safe.

Finally, we can be thankful for one another. We can appreciate our family members and friends and be grateful that we live in a region where neighbors truly care for one another.

Happy Thanksgiving!