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There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, so the saying goes.

Thank goodness for that. This past year has been one that no one could have expected or prepared for, but somehow we made it. We survived a full year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For that, we owe a debt of gratitude to many people. First and foremost, we would like to thank our doctors, nurses, first responders, EMT’s and hospital and doctor’s office administrators and custodians who put their lives on the line on a day-to-day basis to see the sick during this worldwide health crisis. Many of us became shut-ins to avoid the health risk, but these people faced it head-on.

We also are grateful to the employees and owners of businesses that stayed open so that we could continue a sense of normalcy and take care of essential needs.

Some had to get creative to make sure our economy, and our sanity, survived.

For example, some of our restaurants and stores quickly became accustomed to curbside service. When gyms had to close down by executive order, Planet Fitness put up fitness videos on social media so their patrons could stay in shape from the comfort and safety of their own homes.

Thank you to Visit Natchez, Natchez Inc., and community stakeholders for supporting our local businesses with grants and by encouraging us to shop local.

Thank you to the faculty, staff and administration of public and private schools who also had to get creative to make sure our children were not left behind in their education. Special thanks goes to the teachers who stood up in front of classrooms knowing the health risks just so our kids could still have face-to-face learning.

The list goes on and on.

Now it’s important we continue to listen to the health experts about the vaccines and how we can safely get back to normal. The last thing we want is to experience COVID-19 all over again with whatever variant strands of the virus still linger.