Giving thanks in a year of COVID

By Taylor Brown

tbrown@yourmvi.com

Chris David of Elrama has too much to be thankful for to not celebrate a traditional holiday.

David was involved in a life-threatening traffic accident in June when he fell asleep at the wheel and hit a telephone pole about one mile from his house. 

He broke his neck, all of his ribs, had two collapsed lungs and punctured an artery in his neck.

“The doctors told me I died twice,” he said. “I woke up over a week later and they told me I had to have surgery on my neck. But I’m back to work now and doing well. My next checkup isn’t until January. 

“The hell with (Gov. Tom) Wolf. We are gathering as a family to give thanks for everything we do have because tomorrow is not a guarantee.”

David plans to have dinner with family and friends at his brother Sean and fiancee Shauna’s new home.

“It’s their first holiday in their new house, so they wanted to host this year,” David said. “All of our family and friends are invited.”

In response to rising COVID-19 rates, government officials offered guidelines to families last week, urging them to carefully consider how they plan to celebrate Thanksgiving and recommending that some traditions be changed out of concern for safety. 

People who are hosting Thanksgiving celebrations are encouraged to  limit the number of guests as much as possible, practice social distancing, discourage guests from singing or shouting and encourage them to bring food and drinks for themselves and members of their families only.

David and his family are expecting about 20 guests, including children.

“I gave up drugs more than three years ago, but ever since my accident I have come to realize how precious life is and how much my family means to me,” he said. “This is the time of year to give thanks for what you do have, and the government can’t take that away from us.”

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