What a year, just like everything else, Thanksgiving 2020 is going to be a little different. We might not have the chance to see all our loved ones and we might only see others in a wave through a closed window, but we still have much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to in our future.
There is no doubt this has been a year of loss for many of us. Our family lost my dad, Tom Emmer Sr. (the “original Tom Emmer,” as I like to call him), and I know other families across the country will sit down for Thanksgiving dinner with an empty seat at the table, just like us. In these challenging times, we should be thankful for the men and women who have worked so hard this year to keep us healthy, safe and free.
When the COVID-19 crisis hit Minnesota in March, families across our state found themselves facing an uncertain future. Minnesotans wondered if they’d be able to keep food on the table or keep up with the demands for everything from toilet paper to helping with their child’s homework. Like Minnesotans always do, we stepped up.
Minnesota-based businesses like Medtronic and 3M immediately pivoted to producing PPE and other vital equipment, while Minnesota farmers and producers buckled down under some incredibly trying circumstances to keep our nation’s most important food and supply chains moving. There are also the countless number of frontline workers who have and continue to risk so much to keep us healthy and safe during this crisis. Minnesota’s medical community has provided top of the line care during these unprecedented times, and some, like the Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Ben Daxon[1], who served at a New York City ICU in April, traveled to our nation’s hardest-hit areas to lend a hand.
Let us also not forget our brave service men and women in uniform who continue to confront the numerous challenges 2020 has presented, working day and night to keep our communities and our country safe. Today, soldiers and airmen from the Minnesota National Guard are working at COVID-19 testing facilities and long-term care centers across our state[2], providing much-needed support. Others, like our sons Joe and Bill, serve in our nation’s Navy and Marine Corps protecting our American way of life. Not to mention the thousands of law enforcement officers and their families who put their lives on the line each and every day to keep our neighborhoods safe.
There aren’t enough words to properly thank every deserving Minnesotan. You can probably think of dozens of individuals who have made all the difference in your life over the past few months, be they a family member who delivered groceries, a teacher who made a Zoom lesson engaging, or a friend who lent an ear when times were tough. We’ve faced a lot this year, but we’ve done it with thousands of brave and dedicated Minnesotans who will fight until we reach the end of this tunnel, at last. To them, and you, I say thank you!
[1] https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-physician-shares-diary-from-a-new-york-covid-icu/
