If Danville is really similar to living in a "bubble," the bubble has definitely popped.

Particularly in the past two weeks when two Danville women were killed in a car wreck on Sycamore Valley Road and the recent loss of a local Marine, who died in combat in Afghanistan fighting not only for our "bubble" but our entire country.

Really puts the long lines to fight for the latest Thanksgiving fare in perspective.

For the past three years, I have dedicated the month of November to focus on what I am grateful for each and every day and post it as my Facebook status.

So, despite the fact that I dropped a bottle of chili sauce on my kitchen floor tonight and the contents did the salsa in 1,000 different directions in my kitchen, I still find many reasons to be grateful for the many people and opportunities I have in my life (although holidays will never be the same after the death of my mom two years ago).

I feel for the people whose Thanksgiving on into Christmas are not the "Happy Holidays."  Amid our overindulgence in turkey, cranberries, and sweet potatoes, there will be people - our neighbors, our family, people we will never meet - who do not have an appetite because the sadness outweighs any hunger pangs or longing for the traditional, annual feast the rest of us will partake in.

Certainly my reminder to think of those who are experiencing grief isn't intended to put a damper on your good spirits but simply a gentle reminder to take a few moments to consider that others may need a phone call, a thought, simple gestures to know they are in our thoughts.

Also, I believe these threads of humanity should serve as catalysts for our own expressions of love and gratitude to those that are important in our lives.  

In our busyness of setting the perfect table to the onslaught of gift buying and everything in between, take time to notice the palette of red and gold trees that line our streets, the Toy Story clouds that float above, and the warmth of a smile from a stranger.

And know, that we may live in what some consider a bubble, but bubbles burst. And I am grateful to live in a community that binds together in the ways we have when things seem to fall apart.  

Danville has experienced past sorrows and I'm afraid to say, we will more than likely feel the strains of unhappiness again.  But know that regardless of where you live, bad things do happen to good people.

Here's wishing you and yours - wherever you live - an opportunity to both give and receive thanks.  And truly hoping your Thanksgiving is as happy as humanly possible.