According to Healthline, gratefulness has all kinds of benefits for your physical and behavioral health.

Practicing gratefulness — adopting an attitude of thanks for the good things in your life, however small, rather than focusing on what you lack — improves your immune system. It can ease anxiety and depression. It improves your relationships. It increases optimism (thankfulness begets thankfulness).

This week, as we head into the ultimate day of thanks and the beginning of the season of good tidings, we want to pause and dedicate this space to gratitude.

For one week, no boo-hooing about politics or finger-wagging about coronavirus protocols or school board meetings or tax rates or anything else.

Just thanks.

And we start today with a word of thanks for you, Northeast Michigan.

This is a great place to live. Safe. Courteous. Beautiful. Slow-paced and exciting simultaneously.

And that’s all thanks to you, Northeast Michigan.

This is a great newspaper. Urgent, brave, in-depth, connected. That, too, is thanks to you.

So, as we begin this brief season of gratitude, we begin with a word of great thanks to you, Northeast Michigan.