Still lots of reasons to feel thankful

Let’s not beat around the bush: This has been a lousy year. First, there was COVID-19, which took lives and brought economic and emotional turmoil. Then the statewide wildfires, which took lives and homes and left us gasping for breath, and the Black Lives Matter protests, where free speech seemed at times to be under siege. And just when we thought it was safe to go back to a restaurant, COVID-19 swung back around and sent us all back home. And there’s no toilet paper anywhere. Again.

But in spite of it all, there are still reasons to be thankful, even this year.

As a family, we’ve been fortunate — able to work from home and make sure our kids have the technology and attention to get through distance learning. We also have been healthy so far, though our kids are probably sick of being around their parents all day long.

Here’s my annual list of people and things I’m grateful for making this year better than it could have been:

Dr. Sara Cody, who led the nation in reacting quickly to the pandemic in March. I haven’t always agreed with the enforcement or consistency of the health orders, but I’m convinced Cody saved lives, along with all the front-line health care workers who have been tending to the ill for eight months and counting.

Black community leaders — including but certainly not limited to YouthHype’s LaToya Fernandez, Milan Balinton of the African American Community Services Agency and NBC Bay Area’s Marcus Washington — who have pushed us to look at how we handle race in San Jose.

The five nonprofits that make up the Sí Se Puede Collective — Somos Mayfair, Grail Family Services, the School of Arts & Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza, Veggielution and Amigos de Guadalupe. They stepped up their game to make sure East San Jose residents stayed healthy, fed, educated and visible during the pandemic.

Cathy Kimball, whose retirement from the Institute of Contemporary Art in June had to happen without a party. Her big legacy will be leaving the ICA on

stable ground for years to come.

All the “pivoters,” the museums, learning centers and theaters that had to close their doors but still opened our minds with online tours, talks, concerts, plays and projects. We can’t wait to be back in person.

Sisters Jeronica Macey and Be’Anka Ashaolu, who put their faith in San Jose and opened Nirvana Soul, giving downtown a Black-owned coffeehouse. Thanks as well to Steve Mayer, who cut the ribbon on the new downtown location for Scott’s Seafood in May and expanded this month with Scott’s Chowder House next door.

Organizations like Hunger at Home, Loaves & Fishes and Martha’s Kitchen that immediately responded to increased demand during the pandemic, as well as eateries like Tony & Alba’s Pizza & Pasta and Elyse Restaurant that provided food to the needy.

Transit advocate Monica Mallon, who continually reminds the Valley Transportation Authority that its system needs to be about the riders who need it most. Some people won’t listen to her because she’s young. That’s a reason they should.

3Below Theaters’ Scott and Shannon Guggenheim, who came up with the most novel idea of the summer, “Up on the Roof,” putting theater seats on a parking garage roof and showing socially relevant (and entertaining) movies alfresco with the help of the city and the San Jose Downtown Association.

Haberdasher owner Cache Bouren, who cochaired the city’s Greater Downtown Economic Recovery task force and made drive-thru, contact-free craft cocktails a reality in San Jose.

Retiring San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia, whose tenure had its flaws but who left the department a better place than it was when he arrived.

Carl Salas, who showed me that paddling on the Guadalupe River on a kayak wasn’t a scary proposition at all. If he could get a launching dock built, it would be even better.

Gary Singh, whose justpublished book “Silicon Alleys” collects his columns for the Metro weekly that have put a spotlight on the lesser-known but still-loved people and places in San Jose.

Nathan Svoboda of Project MORE, as well as the San Jose and Santa Clara County officials, who helped transform downtown’s Post Street into Qmunity, an LGBTQ-friendly district.

Carl and Leslee Guardino, who started the Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot in 2005 —providing ours and thousands of other families a good reason to get up early on Thanksgiving (and, yes, we put on our shirts to run the “virtual” 5K on Thursday morning as always).

The many community leaders we lost this year, without a way to properly say farewell, among them Carmen Castellano, Bob Kieve, Bill Del Biaggio, City Attorney Rick Doyle and ex-San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer.

Every teacher at every grade level at every school.

If we knew then what we know now, Teacher Appreciation Week would have gone much differently last year.

And, as always, thank you to the readers, who are the reason we come to work, er, work from home every day.