Greg Vojtko

vojtko_111124_8953 REDLANDS, Calif. (Nov. 24, 2011) YouthHope executive Director and Founder Heidi Mayer, left, visits with Danielle Clyde, age 19, and Casey Vertz, age 25, during Thanksgiving dinner for 50 homeless youths Youthhope serves throughout the year at First Presbyterian Church Thursday. (Greg Vojtko/Correspondent)

vojtko_111124_8736 SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (Nov. 24, 2011) Volunteers Vanessa Cordero, left, Clarissa Ruiz, Sergio Silva and Kerima Leyba fills plates during annual Thanksgiving dinner at Salvation Army Thursday. (Greg Vojtko/Correspondent)

vojtko_111124_8810 SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (Nov. 24, 2011) Lucas Garcia, age 77 of San Bernardino, eats during annual Thanksgiving dinner at Salvation Army Thursday. (Greg Vojtko/Correspondent)

vojtko_111124_8855 REDLANDS, Calif. (Nov. 24, 2011) Danielle Clyde, age 19 of Redlands, left, is served by Jazmin Wisner of Grand Terrace, right, and other volunteers during Thanksgiving dinner for 50 homeless youths Youthhope serves throughout the year at First Presbyterian Church Thursday. (Greg Vojtko/Correspondent)

vojtko_111124_8974 REDLANDS, Calif. (Nov. 24, 2011) Charles Braithwaite, age 22 of Loma Linda, left, reacts to the antics of Ryan Alcaraz, age 19 of Redlands during Thanksgiving dinner for 50 homeless youths Youthhope serves throughout the year at First Presbyterian Church Thursday. (Greg Vojtko/Correspondent)

vojtko_111124_8865 REDLANDS, Calif. (Nov. 24, 2011) Ryan Sanchez, age 25, left, Angel Flores, age 11, and Dylan Angelo, age 17, are served by volunteers during Thanksgiving dinner for 50 homeless youths Youthhope serves throughout the year at First Presbyterian Church Thursday. (Greg Vojtko/Correspondent)

vojtko_111124_8834 SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (Nov. 24, 2011) David Holsinger, right, and Maria Hernandez, both of San Bernardino, eat during annual Thanksgiving dinner at Salvation Army Thursday. (Greg Vojtko/Correspondent)

vojtko_111124_8873 REDLANDS, Calif. (Nov. 24, 2011) Angel Flores, age 11, sits down to a meal during Thanksgiving dinner for 50 homeless youths Youthhope serves throughout the year at First Presbyterian Church Thursday. (Greg Vojtko/Correspondent)

Some time ago I mentioned to an acquaintance, whose life seemed for them to be without meaning, that food to eat, clothes to keep us warm and a roof that didn’t leak were all anyone was entitled to, and anything else was a bonus. In our entitlement culture that didn’t sit well. According to yesterday’s editorial in The San Bernardino Sun, on the fourth Thanksgiving since the onset of the Great Recession, we should count our considerable blessings and offer thanks:

“We’re happy that our economy appears to be improving, even if the pace of improvement is agonizingly slow on this fourth Thanksgiving since the Great Recession began. The recession officially ended long ago, the experts have told us, though it still doesn’t feel that way. The Inland Empire’s unemployment rate fell from 13.5 percent to 13.3 percent last month. It’s 12.8 percent in San Bernardino County.

Those figures are way too high, of course, but better than this time last year, when the jobless rate was 14.2 percent in the Inland Empire. California, whose unemployment rate is 11.7 percent, has gained more than 192,000 jobs so far this year, 53,000 of them since August.

The state has gained almost 304,000 positions since its labor market bottomed out in 2010, according to Beacon Economics. Given that employment is a lagging indicator of overall economic health, Beacon says, “it’s clear that California is solidly in a new growth phase” and there will be no “double dip” recession here.”

Despite the seeming good news across the state, times remain tough.  If you have a job, when many others don’t, be thankful.  If you have a home, be grateful for that, with all the foreclosures that have occurred since the real estate bubble burst. Local non-profits, such as The Salvation Army, stretched as they when times have been better, are still in these trying economic times still managing to provide traditional holiday meals for the less fortunate. Despite all the world’s ills, there truly much to be thankful for.