A Year to Truly Give Thanks
Every year, we expect certain thing to happen around Thanksgiving. We expect the leaves to change colors. We expect to decorate our houses with pumpkins and cornucopias. We expect football on television. We expect to eat turkey and stuffing, potatoes and gravy. We expect our family to gather from near and far.
Truly, the coronavirus pandemic – and all of 2020, really – has turned our expectations upside down. This year, many of us will not be able to see our parents, children, and grandchildren. Those who have lost their jobs may not have the means to enjoy the kind of feast they are accustomed to.
Most of us have never experienced a Thanksgiving like this one. That’s because most of us have never experienced a year like this.
And yet, it’s precisely during a time like this that Thanksgiving becomes more important than ever. It’s when life takes certain things away that we realize what truly matters. When we learn to live without certain comforts, we learn what we couldn’t live without. We learn what we really have to be thankful for, and there are so many things that we at EnRich are thankful for.
First and foremost, we’re thankful for family. Not being able to see loved ones as often really brings into focus how much they mean. Every email, phone call, text, and Zoom® session is treasured more than ever before.
Second, we’re thankful for all of the technology that it makes it possible to make those connections with family and friends – even when we’re miles apart.
Third, we’re thankful for our amazing team at EnRich. Their dedication, professionalism, and attitude are inspiring. When the markets were crashing, they were on the phones, working hard to reach every client we have. When the lockdowns started, they worked from home without skipping a beat, working to take care of you even while they took care of their own families. We do what we do because their hard work empowers us to.
Fourth, we’re thankful for life’s daily luxuries that we too often take for granted. Can you imagine going through this pandemic the way people would have a hundred years ago? The pandemic has reminded us just how accustomed we are to always having food, water, electricity, and shelter. We have books and game and movies to keep our minds occupied. We have pets to keep us company. And don’t forget the toilet paper!
As difficult as it has been to live with COVID-19, the modern world makes it easier than past generations could have imagined.
Fifth, we’re thankful for the men and women striving to end this pandemic. The doctors and nurses on the front lines caring for the sick are literally putting their lives on the line, working from sunup till sundown. Let’s also not forget the scientists and researchers racing against the clock to deliver a vaccine in record time.
Sixth, we’re thankful for the many workers who keep our communities functioning. Teachers, police officers, grocery store baggers, truckers, utility technicians, and sanitation workers. Many are working double shifts. Others have converted their offices into makeshift bedrooms. Their work often goes unnoticed, but they are considered essential workers for a reason – we couldn’t live without them.
Finally, we’re thankful for you. When the pandemic began, we tried to reach as many clients as possible. Not just to talk about your financial plan, but to talk about you. We wanted to hear about you and your family and how you’re doing. However, we very soon realized that we didn’t have to call each of our clients, because you were calling us, checking on us. Not to ask about your money, but to ask about us.
There is never a day that goes by where we are not thankful for what we do – because of who we do it for. This pandemic has changed so much, including how we live and how we celebrate. But there are some things that it hasn’t changed. It hasn’t changed what we care about. It hasn’t changed who we love. It hasn’t changed how much we have to be thankful for.
On behalf of our entire team, we wish you and your family a safe and joyful holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving!