As we celebrate Thanksgiving under these new circumstances — some doing so virtually, some modifying traditions or foregoing the family festivities all together amid a pandemic — we still count our blessings. Despite the trials and tribulations of what seems like a world gone crazy, there is still so much for which we should give thanks.

While it is far easier to look at the glass half-empty than it ever is to see it half-full, Thanksgiving, at least, should be the day when we remove the glasses of pessimism and examine the lives we lead, looking at the things we have rather than the things we have yet to obtain or have lost.

So what are you thankful for today?

Perhaps this time has made you more thankful for the little things in life, or for the things big and small we too often take for granted. We all have something we can be thankful for if we only take a moment to look beyond those selfish thoughts that can often consume us, to see how much we truly have in life — to see those who care about us, and who we care about.

Some of us won’t see those people this Thanksgiving, or will do so under entirely different circumstances as a pandemic rages, rapidly growing cases in this county, this state and across the country leading to more stringent measures to once again curb the rising numbers, and protect those who would be adversely affected by COVID-19.

The governor just this week tightened the statewide mask requirement — making it clear that everyone needs to wear a mask whenever they are with someone who is not from the same household. It adds an additional stipulation to any public indoor space even when maintaining 6 feet of distance; gyms even when exercising; all schools public and private; and all public or private transportation when travelling with people outside of the household.

They are measures meant not to wrangle people, but numbers that are spiking.

Many families are getting tested so they can ensure their households are COVID-free, opting to scale down celebrations that often include extended family. Many are getting together virtually, whether through FaceTime or Zoom. We applaud them for doing their part not just for their family, but for so many other families, as we try to get back to life as we have known it before 2020.

Despite this Thanksgiving being a departure in many ways, we still need to look no further than our community to see the true meaning of this holiday come to life. We can look to Willie Parker, who through his 39 Legends Foundation and with the help of others, distributed 600 turkeys across his hometown. Or we can look to Matthew Barefoot, pastor of The Vine Fellowship, whose church will be giving out free contactless meals on Thanksgiving Day.

What Thanksgiving is truly about is not lost, regardless of the circumstances that currently envelop it.

While it’s true we probably all want far more than we have — we’d all like for ourselves and our loved ones to be disease-free, wealthy, mobile, happy, successful and amassing the things in life we see as important, or possibly getting back to those things big and small that we miss — if we really look at our bounty, I’m sure most of us would realize that we have most of the things, if not all, that we need.

And that’s why it’s important to count your blessings, not just on Thanksgiving, but every day.

It will help us to see how truly full our glass is, and it will instill in us the grateful hearts we should keep and search every day of every year.

As we mark another Thanksgiving — this one different than all the others before it — allow it to still be a moment in which we reflect on our lives, tell the ones we love that we love them, give a little extra thanks and pray for a healthier 2021.