Opinion: Looking across holiday seasons

Another Thanksgiving holiday weekend is edging toward its close. Many of us are blessed in that memories of good times with family and friends this weekend will last far longer than the leftovers that now pack our refrigerators.

It is good to set aside time to offer public and private thanks for the bounty that many of us share, evidenced most recently by the plentiful spreads we enjoyed, perhaps too much at times.

Monday will bring a return to normalcy, and resume the rush toward the end of 2018. The beginning of the week can bring back the sense of anxiety that seems to hang over much of this nation these days. The times we’re living can seem unprecedented, and unsettling. That’s a deceiving notion, we believe.

A review of past years chronicled in this newspaper confirms that worries and threats have long faced America and the world it shares. A selection of pieces from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s files offer insights from an Atlanta of 50 years ago, another troubled year. Then, as now, we’ve found ways to remain upbeat, and forge forward in good works.

Also today, the head of a nonprofit agency reminds us of the ongoing needs of the less-fortunate that many of us can help meet, in the coming holidays — and beyond.