One of my favorite holidays is Thanksgiving. I love it for many reasons.
It’s a time of year to be with family, and of course there is always so much good food. But I also love Thanksgiving because I think it is important that we take some time out of the year to think about all the blessings that have been given to us.
It can be so easy sometimes to forget how truly blessed we are; to take for granted the little things that make life so great. Most days we are so focused on doing our jobs or taking care of all the errands and other nuances of life that we might not stop and think to say “thank you” for what we have.
This is especially true in the world of politics. Every day, we read in the paper or see in the news about new policies or international threats. The political debate can become so bitter and personal that we forget at the end of the day to be grateful that we even have a democracy and the freedom to express our opinions.
So I wanted to take a moment to put aside the politics and instead focus on the blessings.
I have been so blessed that God has given me such an amazing family. I am grateful for my son, Jonathan, who has been given a chance to play college football and making great grades. I am grateful for my daughter, Wells, who is turning into an incredible young woman with such a bright future ahead of her. And I am especially thankful for my wife, Gwen, who is the best mother of our children and partner in life that a man could ever ask for.
I am grateful for all the people I work with at Hodges-Ford Insurance. We have had a lot of claims come through this year because of the storms, and the people I work with have gone above and beyond the call of duty to provide the best service possible to our customers.
I am thankful to our men and women in the military, as well as all of our public servants. From protecting our nation abroad to patrolling our streets and teaching in our schools, these men and women have devoted their lives to helping others, and, in some cases, sacrificed their lives to keep us safe and protect our freedoms and our way of life.
I am thankful to the people of Etowah County who have given me the opportunity to represent them in Montgomery in the Alabama House of Representatives. One of the most sacred things a person can give you is their trust, and I am honored that the voters of Etowah County have trusted me to fight for them and be their voice in Montgomery.
But most of all, I am thankful for our merciful God who forgives sins and has blessed my life so richly. I am thankful that God has stood by me in the good times and the bad times, and I am thankful for all that He has blessed me with.
There are so many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, including this reminder to take a day and remember all the blessings we have been given.
Each of us will go through hardships in our lives, whether it’s losing someone we love, losing a job or just having a really bad day. In times like that, I think it is especially important to focus on the blessings in life and remember how good God has been to us. Sometimes when things seem to be going so wrong, the only thing you can do is think about the things that are still going right and remember that God is with you in the good times and the bad.
I wish you and your family a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!
Rep. Craig Ford is a Democrat from Gadsden and the Minority Leader in the Alabama House of Representatives.
