Thanksgiving sure will be different this year. That my older brother is emailing and texting in an effort to organize Zoom interactions among the families pretty much says it all.

A year ago, we’d never heard of Zoom. A year ago, Thanksgiving was the usual in-person gathering with the associated food, drink, football and general indulgences. This year, the pandemic will at least limit the size of gatherings, if not break them up altogether.

An idea that my brother proposed was to have the children in our families, as well as the adults, each get on Zoom and say what we’re thankful for. He asked, “or is that too cheesy?”

I understand why he asked that question. After all, as a family we’ve never been the most overtly emotive, spiritual or taken to traditions that might become cliché over time. Nonetheless, I know that, in addition to the pandemic’s weight on everyone’s psyche, my brother and, well, everyone else in the family has gone through a ringer of personal challenges in the last year. That brings new perspective.

What will I say when it’s my turn? To my family I will say that I’m thankful for having had a great father, and for our family having grown closer in the process of his passing. I will say I’m thankful to be employed, to work for a supportive company and to be able to work from home. The benefits of that include seeing much more of my children’s growing up. They also include, lest I forget, the relief of not having to worry about where my next meal is coming from.

To all in the meat industry family, I must say that I’m thankful for knowing where my next meal is coming from, and how much work goes into to getting it to my table. I’m especially thankful for the hundreds of thousands of people willing to work so damn hard every day in slaughterhouses and processing plants so that all I have to do is drive a few minutes from my house to pick up anything I want in the meat case — or just click a button on my phone to have it delivered to my doorstep.

I truly am thankful to work in a dynamic and thriving industry. I am thankful to love what I do every day. I can honestly say that, since I began working here almost 14 years ago, I have never risen in the morning and dreaded the day ahead. I don’t know too many people who can say the same thing. I feel lucky.

So, no, my big brother, I don’t think it’s “too cheesy” to have a Zoom call and express our thanks. I can say, from having just written this, that it feels good. More importantly, our children, who are growing up in challenging times, need to learn that there is always a bright side. They need to learn to be grateful for what they have.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Our “cheesy” Thanksgiving

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