Much of the news this past year has set many Americans on edge — economic troubles, companies closing, layoffs, problems with health care reform, major wars in two countries, spiraling federal deficit … and on and on.

With that kind of news dominating headlines just about every day, it can be overwhelming.

But the almost obsessive focus on the negative that many Americans seem to be caught up in these days is only part of the story.

It’s easy to let bad news so completely overshadow everything else that we sometimes lose sight of all we have to be thankful for.

And this year, that list is long.

For one thing, during trying times, most Americans rise to the occasion. When things are at their worst, we, as a nation, tend to be at our best.

And that is as true in Talladega and St. Clair counties as it is everywhere else. Like the rest of the country, we have had longtime businesses and industries close here, but instead of turning away from the unemployed workers, our communities came together to help them out with everything from finding new work to job training to helping pay for school supplies for their children.

That kind of close-knit support from residents here extends to just about anyone who is in need. It’s a way of life that has died off in other parts of the country that continues to thrive here, and it’s certainly something to be thankful for.

And that’s just for starters.

Every week, we report on how our schools have made improvements or some new accomplishment from students here.

Community projects, like the Pell City Center, the Ritz Theatre or the development of parks in Childersburg, Sylacauga and Lincoln continue to enrich our lives and make our cities and towns better places to live.

Churches and organizations like SAFE and First Family, Rotary, Kiwanis, the Lions and others continue to strive to help people across the area and to improve the quality of life in St. Clair and Talladega counties.

This list goes on and on — while it may be the negative headlines that people pay the most attention to, not a day goes by that we don’t report good things going on in our cities and towns.

Something positive every day is something we can all be thankful for.