There is absolutely never a good time to be sick, but holidays are the worst.

There is absolutely never a good time to lose your job, but holidays are the worst.

So today, as we recover from Thursday's over-abundance and over-eating and over-indulging, it would be good to be truly thankful that we are able to recover.

And it would be good to pray for those who are sick, for those who will be able to recover and for those who won't.

Fritz the Dad was fired for the first time when his oldest child was a freshman in college. His very first concern was for the other guys who were fired with him. As if it was yesterday, I remember the family summit around the table in the breakfast nook. I had been summoned "home" to attend.

"We'll be fine," he said adamantly, with his Polish resolve and stubborn determination. "We are going to be just fine."

And, of course, he was right.

There are folks in our town today who are not fine. There are folks who came here from elsewhere to find work and are now struggling. There are folks outside our towns and state who are not fine at all.

Finding help for those who need it is vastly different for many than it was for an in-demand, on-the-rise football coach with a settlement package.

Not everyone has the luxury of a settlement deal or a healthy savings account. We cannot fault them - we just need to help them.

As we witnessed first-hand last week, the Casper community is remarkably - yes, remarkably - generous. I arrived at work on Monday with a message from a woman in Thermopolis who had both a turkey and a ham she wanted to give to Casper's Salvation Army. She just couldn't figure out how to get it to us.

By then, The Salvation Army had completely fulfilled its urgent request for more than 500 turkeys and hams.

As we move from Thanksgiving headlong into Christmas planning, let's not forget those for whom a hot meal and a warm pair of gloves and/or socks might indeed be a wonderful gift.

Let's be generous with our change for those red kettles and with smaller, but no less important, food pantries and social service groups.

Let's not forget that when things appear the most desperate, there is still reason for hope.

When things seem the most frightening, there is reason to be brave.

The light at the end of the tunnel is not always a freight train. Sometimes, it really is daylight peeking through.

If we all accept the things we don't think we can fix, then no fixing will take place.

But if we take a look, say "Sure, we can do something," then perhaps the better situation is the one we've not yet considered.

As you bid your visiting family and friends farewell, hug them tight and appreciate the time you had together - however brief it may have been.

Reach community news editor Sally Ann Shurmur at (307) 266-0520 or sallyann.shurmur@trib.com