In this “Thanksgiving Week,” here’s something to be thankful for, courtesy of my son Mark’s Facebook posts election week:

As the sun rose on election day, we posted our American flag – not as a sign of support for one candidate or another (our house is divided), but in appreciation for the privilege of voting and the belief that no matter what happens with the election, we live in a great but imperfect country, a land of opportunity, a nation governed by flawed humans through a flawed system. Things will get better in the coming months regardless of who wins today. This election season has been particularly divisive, but we will heal. We have to.

Mark continues:

The person who voted for someone different from you is not your enemy. The person who believes differently from you is not your adversary. No portion of the country, whether a minority or majority, can succeed by tearing down the other portion. We are all in this together.

Mark concludes:

Jesus asked, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of [evil men]?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Have mercy. Love your neighbor. – Mark Ewell, November 3, 2020

Mark’s next election week Facebook post:

Whoever is inaugurated on January 20th will be my president, and for all our sakes I hope he is the best president we’ve ever had. I will agree with some of the things he says and does, and disagree with others. Either way, I’m grateful for the amazing country we live in, for the checks and balances among our branches of federal government, and for the uniqueness of the states. Very little of this matters day-to-day, and none of it matters in the long run. – Mark Ewell, November 6, 2020, emphasis mine

Thank you, Mark. Good counsel.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. (Psalm 16.6, NIV)