There’s no better time than Thanksgiving to stop and consider some of the simple blessings of life.

Although we’re thankful for the delay in seasonal high heating bills, the recent cooler weather also provides a welcome change and a chance to really enjoy a warm sweater and a mug of hot chocolate.

We’re grateful for a community that cares so much about Lawrence. Sometimes it makes the process of progress a bit more tedious, but it’s wonderful that so many people want to be actively involved in Lawrence’s future.

And you’ve just got to love those Jayhawks. Saturday’s big game isn’t a matter of life and death, but the football team’s unlikely march to national prominence provides a welcome lift to everyone who cares about Kansas University. We applaud the hard work of team members and are thankful for the entertainment they have provided us this fall.

Sometimes we seem overly focused on what we don’t have or what we think we want or need. Today is a time to be grateful for what you have, however much or little it may be. In most cases, it is far more than most of the Earth’s inhabitants enjoy.

A warm coat, a hearty meal or a friendly smile often are taken for granted, but they are reasons to be thankful and a reminder that all of us should be willing to share our blessing with others less fortunate.

The friendly smile, some words of encouragement, maybe a hug are, of course, the greatest blessings of this or any other time of year. In this country, we treasure our independence, but we also should acknowledge and celebrate our need to connect with others in warm and meaningful ways.

In many ways, Thanksgiving is our most pure and unspoiled celebration of gratitude and caring. It has escaped most of the commercialization of other holidays and crosses most of America’s ethnic, cultural and social boundaries.

It is, in fact, a wonderful occasion to recognize that Americans and all of the world’s peoples have much more that unites them as human beings than divides them according to nationality or ideology. It’s a welcome thought as we gather with family and friends to celebrate this most American of holidays.

Happy Thanksgiving.