It’s easy to get so busy preparing for the holidays that we fail to do what’s most important on them – reflect on all that we have.

The holidays can be a hectic time, as we plan a Thanksgiving meal, make arragements to travel or to play host to guests and begin our Christmas or Hanukkah shopping. Sometimes it’s difficult to simply stop and look around us.

Thanksgiving, an American holiday rooted in the traditional harvest festivals of England and New England, is a perfect time to do that. And, most of us have plenty of reasons to do it. Anyone in a home with food and family on Thanksgiving has plenty of reasons to be thankful.

It’s easy to take these things for granted when they are all around you. But imagine, for a moment, your life without them.

In the news business, we report on many people who don’t have these things. Their stories can be important reminders of how hard life can be for some people.

Recently, for example, we brought readers the story of Jennifer Libby, a woman who, along with her two children, found herself homeless after years of drug abuse. She has had some help from friends and family, but she has discovered how hard it can be to find affordable housing and a job with two kids to care for.

Temporary shelters are often available only in larger cities like Portland. So, Libby and her children move from place to place, staying on couches for a night or two and moving on to another temporary home.

At the Current in recent weeks, we’ve reported on the disaster that has befallen the Cookie Jar Pastry Shop in Cape Elizabeth. When high winds and rain hit the region a few weeks ago, the shop’s roof blew off and rain poured into the business, damaging most of the equipment.

Donna and Tom Piscopo, the South Portland residents who own the shop, lost nearly everything – the ceiling, cabinets, walls, flooring, coolers, cash registers, bread slicers and display cases. Although they had originally hoped to reopen by Thanksgiving, they think now that they won’t be able to reopen until January, missing their busiest season of the year.

Many people have also been following the mysterious disappearance of 15-year-old Coreen Wiese of Buxton. After she was last seen on Nov. 8, searchers found her MP3 player and cell phone under a bridge at the Limington Rapids on the Saco River. Searchers also found a message written on the bridge, which read, “11/8/06 RIP CW.”

Wiese was a good student, who participated in sports and had a good attendance record at school. Those who knew her from school or from seeing her around town have said she was a good kid.

“Very pleasant and polite,” said Providence Stanley, a clerk at Low’s, a variety store near Bonny Eagle High School. “She always laughed. My heart goes out to her parents. I can’t fathom it.”

The week Wiese disappeared, her parents held a press conference and made a public plea. “I love you very much,” said her father, Wesley Wiese. “Contact us any way you can.”

Try to fathom not knowing where your son or daughter might be on Thanksgiving. Imagine your business in ruins or not having a home to return to after dinner.

They are all frightening thoughts, and reminders of how unpredictable life can be. Although life can sometimes be busy, frustrating and even hard for many of us, it’s important to remember that all of us have something – a warm home, family, friends, food, community – to be thankful for.

-Brendan Moran, editor