Counting Our Blessings

Thanksgiving is upon us, and with it comes the traditional favorites -- namely, family, food, shopping and football – though not necessarily in that order.

I’m confident I speak for many when proclaiming my abiding affection for this distinctly North American holiday, which is a perfect capstone for fall in the heart of the most important selling season of the year for retailers.

But mostly, I cherish what Thanksgiving represents, which is simply to pause and reflect on the abundance of goodness that has come our way in the past year, given how easy it is to take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.

With this in mind, it’s the ideal time to convey our profound admiration for the outpouring of generosity from supply chain partners across our great food industry in the wake of the widespread destruction from Superstorm Sandy. We at PG have been deeply inspired by the generosity of donations from both the retailer and supplier communities, which continue to open their hearts to facilitate and expedite the much-needed relief efforts -- via donations of food, financial support, supplies, charging stations, volunteers and countless other acts of kindness -- to assist the people and communities still reeling from the unimaginable adversities of the storm.

I’d also be remiss in failing to share the extraordinary pride I have in several key members of our PG team, as well as in our sister Stagnito Media teammates based in our Jersey City, N.J., office, who were directly impacted -- if not severely inconvenienced -- by the devastating storm. To be sure, the resilience, tenacity and dedication displayed by our colleagues, friends and countless business associates across the region in recent weeks has been nothing short of heroic, and we can only hope that the ongoing recovery efforts move swiftly in the days and weeks ahead.

Thanksgiving is a ready-made opportunity for customary expressions of appreciation. But when we mark it during a period of profound adversity for those near and dear to us, the act of counting our many blessings this year takes on extra-special meaning.