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Today, let’s remember those empty seats

Enjoying your Thanksgiving Day? Spending time with friends, family, good festivities and food.

That’s great. Most people are. That’s what the occasion is about – celebrating that for which we are thankful with those people for whom we are thankful.

But all across the country and here closer to home, there are empty chairs. There are meals set aside for some of those who are late. Sure, eventually some guests will enjoy stellar home cooking, tastes from their past and the particular flavors of heritage. These guests just aren’t going to enjoy the entire experience. For others, the delay could be an extended one.

That’s because they have job responsibilities that keep them from being home with us today. As we enjoy Thanksgiving, let’s not forget those empty chairs.

There are empty chairs for service members deployed around the world, some of whom will be spending the day in life-threatening situations.

There are empty chairs for essential employees such as police, fire and other first responders, who will be in their traditional roles watching over us.

Then there are the empty chairs for all those other people required to work. Whether entertainment and retail employees to those who might not immediately come to mind, like airline pilots and others.

Surely all of these people would prefer to be home enjoying the traditional experience.

Today, let’s take a minute to reflect on the empty chairs in our own homes and communities.

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