Thanksgiving is far and away my best day of the year. Family, friends, great food and drink, and plenty of football. What could be better? The older I get, the more appreciative I am for all of my many blessings.

We, as most families have, for many years, continued a tradition of having everyone around the table articulate what they are most thankful for. It was always interesting to hear the comments, especially from the kids. “I am grateful for my family even though I sometimes fight with my sister”. “I am grateful that we can all be here today together to celebrate.” “I am grateful that I don’t have to go to school until Monday!”

How times have changed. Now we are grateful for:

• A month without a mass shooting.

• A week without an act of terrorism being perpetrated on innocent civilians.

• A day without political partisanship and the spewings of the extremists on both the left and the right.

• A day without another exposé of sexual harassment that is so demeaning.

• A day without the politicization of sports.

• A day when I can actually get back to being able to believe as truth what I read in the newspaper or see on TV.

Next Thursday my plan is to take a complete break from email and social media. I will turn off the computer and my iPhone. I will decompress and enjoy the day and the company.

America is still the greatest country on Earth. The eternal optimist in me believes that normalcy and respect and goodness to others will return. And for that we will happily give thanks.

This past Labor Day Weekend, my wife and I had the opportunity to travel to Iowa City to spend time with two of our grandchildren. Daniel is a junior and Samantha a freshman at the University of Iowa. One of the many highlights of our visit was to attend a Big Ten football game. 68,000 raucous and loyal Hawkeyes fans – standing room only – you truly had to be there to believe the scene!

Directly adjacent to the Stadium is the brand new University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. High over the stadium on the hospital’s 12th floor – with a wraparound birds-eye view of the field – patients and families and caregivers gather to watch the game. But on this day, something special happened for the very first time. At the end of the first quarter, prompted by the public address announcer, the huge crowd rose as one, turned to look up at the kids, and for a long sustained moment, waved at them. It was electric, exciting, and so emotional to be there!

I had forgotten about that experience until I read this past Friday’s USA TODAY. There is a fabulous article about The Wave and how it has now become a weekly tradition at Kinnick Stadium. The article features the story of a young boy, born with a serious heart defect, who at the age of six, finally received a heart transplant. As of this date, he has been in the hospital for almost 300 days. His mom has not left his side the entire time, sleeping on a pullout cart in his room. His dad, who ironically is a football coach in  a community one hour away, comes on weekends and when he can during the week. Do yourself a favor and read this article – it will bring tears to your eyes.

The United States in 2017 has had more than its fair share of tragedies: hurricanes in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico; wildfires in California; a mass shooting at a concert in Las Vegas; and a terrorist attack on a bike path in lower Manhattan. I thought it would be refreshing to finally focus for a moment on a beautiful story of courage and hope and the transformative healing effects of a crowd of people at a football game.