It’s hard to believe that October is here already and we’ll soon be celebrating Thanksgiving.
2020 has been a difficult year around the world, but as we all know, Nova Scotia was hit particularly hard this past spring. However, in terms of COVID-19, our tiny province is the envy of many other jurisdictions across the globe, since our “Atlantic Bubble” is keeping our residents remarkably safe from the pandemic compared to other places.
No matter how difficult the year has been, or the losses we may have endured along the way, there is always something to be thankful for. Here are some of mine:
- I’m thankful for the additional time people had to spend with family and friends this year. Whether parents working from home, kids out of school longer, or whatever else may have contributed to it, more family time is always a blessing.
- I’m thankful for how resilient we are as a province and how we stepped up to help each other throughout the year. The number of Nova Scotia flags and Nova Scotia Strong signs were a testament to this. No matter how small or large the gesture, they all add up.
- I’m thankful for our volunteer spirit as demonstrated in Facebook’s Ultimate Online Kitchen Party, the many colourful community signs, painted rocks, stories of businesses helping out (when they are struggling themselves), and many more. It’s truly amazing. Sure, that’s just the Nova Scotia way… but it’s nothing to take for granted. #novascotiastrong.
- I’m thankful for the leadership of our premier and Dr. Strang throughout the pandemic. Regardless of anyone’s opinion on any given provincial issue, there is almost unanimous support for the dedication they have shown to keep us all safe.
- I’m thankful for the teachers and school staff who went the extra mile to make sure our students have the best learning environment possible in these challenging times, and that the return to school plan seems to be working well, despite the fears and anxiety that resonated earlier in September.
- I’m thankful for our frontline workers: the doctors, nurses, lab technicians and other staff; police, fire, and EMTs; our military who were deployed to address critical situations over the year.
- I’m thankful for the ‘other’ frontline workers for whom we all developed a deeper appreciation this year, such as those working in grocery stores, pharmacies, the trucking industry, food outlets, and delivery drivers.
- I’m thankful for the overwhelming support of Nova Scotians to adopt safe COVIC-19 protocols, even when our number of cases were negligible. In particular, when asked to wear masks, we followed the advice of the professionals, even though we knew there would be no fines imposed. This precautionary directive will certainly serve us well if (when?) we are faced with a second wave that has crippled many other places.
This is certainly not a complete list, but there isn’t enough room to list everything. So yes, no matter how dire our current situation may seem to be, we have a lot to be thankful for.
- Darrell Samson, Liberal MP Sackville-Preston-Chezzetcook
