Giving thanks … it’s an easy thing to do today as we gather close with friends and family.

For the blessed among us, today brings fellowship and family, a feast of turkey and dressing, and even plenty of hunting and football.

But for many of us — our neighbors here and throughout the country — there is no bounty on the table today. For some, home may not even have a table. The Thanksgiving meal may be served at the Stewpot, or thousands of other soup kitchens across the United States, or it may consist of food donated and shared by service organizations.

For people who find themselves truly alone — elderly or young — today brings no special thanks for family and friends. Instead, for them, Thanksgiving Day may pass much like any other … without spirit and warmth of gatherings to kindle their hearts.

For so many others, the struggle to find the blessings in the burdens and challenges life presents make Thanksgiving a difficult holiday …

For us, the realization that we have so many blessings — from the ability to read the words on this page to the warm food we share with each other — should be good reason to give thanks for our lives.

The Pilgrims who offered the first Thanksgiving more than 200 years ago struggled — against nature, against Indians, against themselves and their history — but they survived. And when they gathered to give thanks, they were thankful for the opportunity to live, to love and to hope.

What more could each of us want?

And, what is more worthy of our thanks than that?