The Thanksgiving that wasn’t is over.

Yes, I know most of us were able to spend it with some family, but there were some empty chairs at the table this year. Not there might have been family and friends who normally make the trip to celebrate this all-American holiday.

But all wasn’t lost, as it isn’t about who was there or not. Rather, it’s about taking time to think about all we have to be thankful for, so I’ll start.

I am thankful for my son and daughter, their spouses, and their children (my grandchildren), who still make an old retired poop like me feel useful, even though they have grown into remarkable adults capable of much more than I ever was.

I am thankful for my golfing buddies, Joe, Doug, Charley, Steve, Dan, Ed, and Jeff. They don’t care if I miss a three-foot putt or make a 30-footer. Well, Jeff might! Golfing with someone tells you all you really need to know about people. Are they honest, good sportsmen? And, if they lose, will they buy refreshments in the clubhouse?

I am thankful I chose to retire in Northeast Michigan. During a career that took my family to many different states, I always knew Michigan was home, as it was the last thing on my bucket list. It is spectacular, and throws us a new season as soon as we begin to enjoy the one we are in, as it should be.

I am thankful this never-ending election is coming to a close. As per our Constitution, the Electoral College electors will cast their final votes on Dec. 14. That will determine once and for all who our next president will be. Then, I pray we can all come together as Americans and get to work solving the major issues of our time, of which there are many.

I am thankful for a country that is fighting like hell to overcome this pandemic, regardless of what the national media tries to make us believe. There was no roadmap, no current precedent, no clear-cut answers, just people doing what they thought was right to save as many lives as possible. Injecting politics into this tragedy can only delay what we are all looking for: the end to all this, along with great desire to return to normalcy.

I am thankful for the health care workers and first responders, as they must put themselves in harm’s way every day to save us. It’s a courageous act not going unnoticed. Thank you.

I am thankful for neighbor Mark, who never asks for anything but is the first to offer help. And he likes my dog, Buddy! They have become great friends.

I am thankful for The Alpena News. As a retired newspaper publisher, I understand what they are going through in these difficult times. But, day after day and night after night, they are where we are not, bringing us the latest local news. While we sleep, the press crew reports to work and miraculously prints thousands of newspapers while the folks who distribute them anxiously wait to load their vehicles and deliver to us by daybreak. A daily newspaper for less than a dollar delivered to my front door is still the best value of any product I know.

And every day I am thankful for my granddaughter, Maddox (Maddie). Born 10 years ago with Down syndrome, she has spent her first 10 years teaching a crusty old fool like me what is and what isn’t important in life. She sees the beauty, not the ugly. She judges us on how we act, not what color we are. She makes you smile on your worst day. She feels your pain more than her own. In many ways, Maddie has the world figured out more than we ever will and can teach us more than we can ever teach her.

Folks, I could have written about all the things I am not thankful for, and the list would be quite long, but there is something special about the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas that won’t allow me to go down that road.

And, besides, Maddie would give me her now-famous eye-roll in disapproval!

Feel free to share with me what you are thankful for at gregawtry@awtry.com.

Greg Awtry is the former publisher of the Scottsbluff (Neb.) Star-Herald and Nebraska’s York News-Times. He is now retired and living in Hubbard Lake. Greg can be contacted at gregawtry@awtry.com.