Happy Turkey and Football Day!

Of course, that’s not the real purpose behind Thanksgiving. Having a day dedicated to thanksgiving and prayer was George Washington’s idea. However, Thanksgiving didn’t become official though until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln made it a national holiday. He was inspired by gratitude for the Union Army’s victory at Gettysburg.

Today, we might not recall our fifth-grade history lessons, but we do remember that Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reflect on the blessings in our lives. Hopefully, one of the blessings you can count is your good health. A blessing for all of us is our capacity to care for each other and that is GOOD.

Football Coach Chuck Pagano, a leukemia survivor, said, “If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything.” Anyone who has battled a serious illness or disease would agree with him. Of course, health is more than your just physical body — it’s also your mental health. Those illnesses are equally as debilitating.

At CentraCare, we are committed to improving the health of the communities that we serve. Last year, our communities grew to include West Central and Southern Minnesota with the addition of Carris Health.

We continue to grow and expand our services but we keep our focus on our purpose — you. We are your neighbors, friends and family — a community of 12,000 employees here to care for you.

And for this, we are thankful.