David Trinko: Giving thanks on Thanksgiving week

November 20, 2021

I’m thankful for doughnut Fridays.

Every Friday morning, on the way to taking our kids to school, we stop at the grocery store near our house and grab our favorite kinds of doughnuts. One girl grabs a Bavarian cream. Two others pick unfilled sticks with icing and sprinkles. I get a Bavarian cream out of the deal. Everybody gets a little smile, a spring in the step and some sugar in the bloodstream.

I mention this because it’s Thanksgiving week. I’m annually frustrated by people’s obsession with shopping for the following holiday, in part because it detracts from the religious significance of Christmas and in part because it overemphasizes our consumerist culture.

Thanksgiving should be a time to take stock in our lives and be grateful for what we do have. We have a lot to be thankful for, whether we wish to acknowledge it or not.

I’m grateful I’m alive. Most people who’ve ever been born aren’t alive right now, but I am. If you’re reading this, so are you. I suspect there’s some reason for that.

I know my health could be better. Some of that is my fault, and some of that is genetics or happenstance. Given the choice between being alive and being dead, I’ll pick alive every time.

I’m appreciative of my family. My focus these days is on the people in my house. I’m proud of my children and what they’re setting out to accomplish in their various stages of life. I’m blessed beyond belief that my wife not only tolerates me but professes to love my eccentricities.

I’m happy with my extended family too. Like any group of people, there are tiffs and cliques, but I know in a pinch they’d jump in to help me. I’d gladly do the same for them too.

I’m thankful for chicken wings. No one ever said you had to limit your gratitude to the big stuff. If we can be happy about turkey, potatoes and gravy on a given Thursday, I reserve the right to be joyful about fried chicken portions doused with a delectable sauce.

I’m joyful to call this area home. I feel embraced by the community where I live. You can make a difference here. The thoughtfulness of other people can astound you. One woman I didn’t know brought a bag full of sewing patterns to my office recently to help us address one daughter’s issues finding pants that were long enough for her extended frame.

I’m grateful for high school sports. They provide me an enjoyable experience and remind me of the importance of people working together to make things happen they never could’ve accomplished on their own.

Above all else, I’m thankful for God, through whom all things are possible. In my lowest moments, He was there for me. In my proudest moments, He was there for me. And even when we’re out grabbing doughnuts on the way to school, He is ever-present. Nothing could make me feel more thankful than that.