EDITORIAL:Lucky to be living in H.B.

The first American Thanksgiving feast was celebrated over a three-day period in 1621 in Plymouth, Mass., with European settlers sitting down with about 90 Native Americans to meals consisting mostly of wild game and fish. The fact the settlers were eating anything at all was probably the greatest cause to celebrate that year — the first winter in Massachusetts had wiped out fully half of the original Plymouth colonists.

It was a far different time of thanks in America than we find today. The gratitude expressed around the turkey in 1621 pretty much involved the very basics, such as "Boy, am I thankful I didn't get smallpox this year," and "Boy, am I glad I didn't starve or freeze to death last January" and "Gee, am I grateful I ran faster than Bob when that bear was chasing us."

Times have changed considerably since then, as have the kinds of fortunes for which Huntington Beach residents can count themselves thankful. There is, for sure, more to be grateful for than the gift of life.

We can be grateful for a vast network of volunteers who provide goods and services for families and people who are faced with low incomes or who are homeless. Volunteers deliver lunches to senior shut-ins, not just on holidays but throughout the year. Other volunteers coordinate fundraisers that benefit their churches, the YMCA and local schools to supplement educational materials and equipment.

Year-round, volunteers help those in need, and during the holidays, they add toys and gift certificates to the list.

Local service groups raise funds so that local charities can continue helping the homeless and less fortunate, putting together literacy projects for young and old alike, and running programs for the developmentally disabled.

And we can be grateful that we live in a community that prides itself on its commitment to maintaining its quality of life and ensuring this is one of the best places to live.

As we sit down to whatever feast we've prepared for ourselves, let's hold one another's hands and say it like we mean it: "Today, I'm glad to live in Huntington Beach."

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

What about Huntington Beach makes you thankful? Call our Readers' Hotline at (714) 966-4691 or send e-mail to hbindependent@latimes.com. Please spell your name and include your hometown and phone number for verification purposes.