America is a blessed nation, and this Thanksgiving season we have many things for which to be grateful.

We have one of the highest standards of living; liberties and freedoms that other people around the globe can only dream of and the goodness of heart to not keep these attributes to ourselves but to spread them around the world.

But don’t think I am merely being a “Pollyanna.” I do see the struggles and strife around us. However, we cannot let that blind us to the possibilities that lie ahead.

We as a people and nation are shaped and formed by the pressures placed upon us and it is our attitude and actions that form our character.

The pilgrims were confronted with a harsh wilderness when they landed on this continent centuries ago.

They came for a purpose - to build a community where they had the freedom to live and worship without the persecution they had previously endured.

But it was the Hand of Providence, some friendly Indian neighbors and their own fierce determination that forged a colony that survived.

Our Founding Fathers, likewise broke free from the same type of tyranny under a harsh king to nurture a new land under a new type of government, one that gave freedom to its citizens.

America remains free today, but defending that freedom comes with a high price.

Today, our country faces many struggles with our economy and the continuing war on terror.

It might be easy to become discouraged and difficult to think of many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. But it is all a matter of perspective.

If we think back to the times we struggled the most through one of life’s circumstances and how we made it through, we realize that the struggle itself develops our character.

Only under the stress and weight of those times do we truly know the mettle we are made of.

It is the fire of the trials that proves our character.

If we were to take stock of the road we have traveled and the obstacles we have overcome, then we can truly be thankful for the journey.

It is only when we get to that place in our lives that we can be free to observe the world around us in a different light.

When you are gathered around your table this Thanksgiving with family and friends, take into account the journey and what it has proved in your own character; then take a hard look around the table and your community and see whose life journey you might make a little easier.

The rewards of reaching out a helping hand are never truly calculated in money but in the strengthening of someone else and in the end growing in your own character as well.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving this year.

State Rep. George Faught (R-Muskogee) represents House District 14, which covers eastern Muskogee and western Cherokee counties, including portions or all of the towns of Muskogee, Fort Gibson, Braggs and Hulbert. His office can be reached by calling (800) 522-8502, or by e-mailing george.faught@okhouse.gov.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 27th, 2009 and is filed under Columns.