This is one solemn Thanksgiving. Gov. Romney supporters are still hurting at their loss. Sandy's victims are just getting electricity back. We bizarrely lost a true iconic hero, Gen. David Petraeus. And it is dawning on all of us that every fiscal cliff option hurts. Amid all of this, our nation appears more divided after the election than ever before, with crazy secession petitions, name-calling and a lack of leadership to unite us.

So how can we take joy in our uniquely American Thanksgiving holiday? The answer is in perspective.

Our nation is currently experiencing hardship, but we have faced tougher challenges, when our sovereignty was threatened in wartime and results were uncertain. Not only have we survived bigger challenges, but we have gone on to prosper in bigger ways. Our free market system is one that, when left alone, helps alleviate economic depressions and is our only hope for recovery. Our current economic downfall has the potential to be reversed, and with compromise and open debate I’m convinced that it can happen.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/11/22/being-thankful-amid-hardship/#ixzz2CzTYFeH2