Between cooking the turkey; getting the house ready for guests; watching the parades; and preparing for the upcoming holiday season, it's important to remember that Thanksgiving is about taking time to reflect on and give thanks for the blessings of the past year.

To get the tradition started off, Bucks Happening asked locals,”What are you thankful for in 2011?”  Take a look at the responses we received below and share what you're most grateful for in the comments.

“A co-worker and friend in our Bristol office was recently diagnosed with cervical cancer – this, after having undergone a kidney transplant and lymphoma. She's only 40. So I am most thankful for my health.

In these trying economic times, I'm also thankful that I can supplement my income by doing things I love: freelance copywriting & public relations (which I can do from the comfort of my Holland home) and teaching Zumba (which I do at five different locations in Bucks County).”

Darcy Silvers, The Hired Hand

“I am so grateful for all those working to rescue animals and give them a second chance for a happy life. The folks at the SPCA really go above and beyond to help all animals that cross their doors. “

Linda McManus, works with the Bucks County SPCA

As a native Chicagoan, I relocated my family (wife and two daughters) to the East Coast ten years ago to join a small biotechnology company as CEO.  While that company was located in Princeton, NJ, a colleague in the area suggested that we consider Bucks County.  We really liked the area and not only moved there, but also subsequently established a boutique strategic advisory and management consulting business, MD Becker Partners LLC,  in Newtown, PA in 2008 during the peak of the financial market meltdown.  I am thankful that the business has since thrived due in part to the strong sense of community and very close proximity to the strong base of life science clients in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, leading institutional investors in New York, and the Food and Drug Administration and National Cancer Institute in Washington, DC.

To give back to the local community, we’re proud to have supported the National Brain Tumor Society’s ‘Race for Hope Philadelphia' on November 6 through our team’s participation in the 5K walk/run to raise money for promising research and to support families who are currently coping with the effects of a brain tumor diagnosis.

Photo by Michael D. Becker

On a personal level, I'm also very grateful for the many friends and neighbors that so warmly welcomed us to the area and have made Bucks County a place that we are happy to call home.  In fact, while we miss celebrating with family in friends in the Midwest, we’re looking forward to Thanksgiving festivities with neighbors, for whom we are very blessed.  With any remaining spare time, I do photography and especially enjoy the wealth of beautiful subjects in Bucks County.

Michael Becker, owner of MD Becker Partners LLC in Newtown

Michael D. Becker & family

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