Thanksgiving means getting together and breaking bread with loved ones. It is about family of all backgrounds, beliefs and political persuasions.

Nothing in society is more important than family, no matter how anyone defines the concept. Family can mean blood relatives, or the people we choose to treat as such.

Family, an institution of love, is the original and most natural society. Families, the foundation of functional societies, provide the security, support and unconditional love individuals need to get through all conceivable catastrophes — whether they involve personal finance, broken hearts or natural disasters.

Families by any constructive composition provide the supportive environments that help children become loving, kind, contributing members of society. We need more loving families, not fewer.

For these reasons, let’s not allow the country’s disturbing right-left philosophical divide to infect Thanksgiving celebrations.

We can and should give thanks for the relatively high incomes most Americans enjoy. While the median household income in Colorado hovers just under $100,000, it amounts to three figures in places like Sudan, Somalia or Afghanistan.

Political beliefs are important, and elections have consequences. Yet, political and social views mean nothing if they destroy our relationships. No politician, no election, no ideology is more important than the people we know and love on a personal basis.

Instead of Thanksgiving serving as a day of disagreement and confrontation at the dinner table, it should be the opposite. It’s the day to give thanks for loved ones — no matter what they stand for.

Anyone having trouble relating to relatives with dramatically different social or political views should think about anyone they have lost to old age, disease, accident or any other reason. When a family member dies, of any cause, loving survivors no longer fret about differences they had with the deceased. They only wish that person could be at the table, giving thanks for life, love and relationships — the latter of which mean more than money can buy.

On Thanksgiving, humans on American soil have more reasons to give thanks than to complain. In too many other regions of the globe, people are told what they can and cannot say or believe. Throughout parts of Africa and other lesser-developed regions, a feast day of thanks is not possible. Mere survival is an everyday ordeal.

Conversely, in the United States, countless charitable organizations, individuals and shelters provide lavish holiday meals — no questions asked — for anyone who shows up.

Sure, all Americans — rich and poor alike — have struggled for years with high inflation that needs to be corrected. The average inflation rate over the past four years has been a burdensome 5.2%, which is hard to afford. 

Yet, when giving thanks, we can put this into perspective. America’s single-digit inflation, which causes distress, compares to Venezuela’s inflation of 283%, Lebanon’s 212% and Argentina’s 161% over the past couple of years. While Colorado’s inflation rate hovers around 3%, South Africans struggle with unemployment of 28%.

We can and should give thanks for the relatively high incomes most Americans enjoy. While the median household income in Colorado approaches six figures, it amounts to three figures in Sudan, Somalia and Afghanistan. We should pray for the poor and give thanks most Americans don’t live on $360 a year.

Despite limitless data showing the good fortunes of Americans — even during hard times for middle- and lower-income households — we should mostly give thanks for relationships that comprise our country’s most important assets.

Make today a celebration of unconditional love — a force that conquers hatred, hurt feelings and interpersonal grievances over concerns that are minor in the scope of what matters most. 

Whatever it takes, have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving Day.