With exams, papers and presentations, it can be easy to forget that one of the biggest holidays of the year is right around the corner — Thanksgiving. College students usually associate this holiday with a chance to come home, see their beloved pets once more and stuff their faces with as much of mom’s warm Thanksgiving dinner as possible before returning to campus. This year in particular, however, this holiday is even more important than usual given the events our country has faced in the past few months.

Our country has endured numerous tragedies recently — the Las Vegas shooting, hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico and the recent shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs. These events have cost us the lives of countless civilians, bringing home the importance of our nation unifying together to make peace and find a solution to issues like gun control that have wreaked havoc on the country.

In these difficult times, the best thing for a nation to do is show love for one another and Thanksgiving in particular is the perfect time for displaying such emotions. During the holiday where we focus on giving thanks for all the wonderful parts of our life, like our family, friends, and the opportunity to go to a school like Fairfield, it’s important that we take the time to appreciate our loved ones even more, as recent tragedies have shown how quickly we can lose these loved ones.

Additionally, Thanksgiving is a time to give blessings for our health and thank whatever higher being we believe in for the opportunity to walk on planet Earth and interact with all the people in your life that love you. It was often difficult to watch the news this year and be faced with the events of the Las Vegas shooting as well as the recent string of sexual assault allegations in Hollywood, so on Thanksgiving, let us not forget but give thanks for both our physical and mental well-being. Remember that there is more good than bad in the world, even though we may not necessarily see it as much.

So as you sit at your table with your closest family and friends, remember the sacrifices you have made to get to this point and give thanks that you are surrounded by those who love you. While news will always continue and the bad news will always be aplenty, let us use Thanksgiving as a platform to enjoy the goodness in our lives and the tranquility attributed with it. Use this Thanksgiving season as a chance to re-establish all the good in not only your life, but the world around you as well.

About The Author

-- Editor-in-Chief Emeritus-- English: Journalism/Creative Writing

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