...an episode of thanks

This will be my last post for November, so I apologize for it's length.
I was watching Little House on the Prairie last night. NO SNICKERING.
I love this show. To quote Hyde from That 70's show, "It reminds me of simpler times". It conjures up emotions in me that I thought were long dead and buried. I usually always have a good cry. Damn you Michael Landon! Why did you have to be such a great actor!?!?!?
This particular episode Mary has some sort of accident with the horses and becomes ill with an internal infection of sorts and they have to go to the "big city" for her to get treatment beyond Dr. Baker's knowledge. This makes me thankful for local hospitals and medical professionals.
Pa goes to the bank to get a loan for the long trip but the bank is closed. This makes me grateful for checks, debit cards and ATM machines.
He then hears singing coming from the one and only local church house up the street. It's not Sunday. He goes to check it out and they are passing around the collection plate. It comes to him and he starts to put in a donation and the preacher tells him "I'm sorry Charles, but we can't accept your donation today." Laura comes up to him and says "It's for Mary, Pa." Of course tears well up in his eyes. I lose it. This makes me thankful for loving, caring, generous people in the world and churches for them to congregate to.
They take their horse driven wagon on a bumpy dirt road to the train station. Mary is lying in the back of the wagon all bundled up. It takes them over a day to get where they need to. This made me thankful for paved roads, enclosed cars with heat and a/c and airplanes.
They get to the specialty hospital and the doctor examines Mary and determines she needs an operation. The doctor sends Pa to talk to the financier before they can operate. They barely have enough cash to pay the guy (who is a total jerk). This makes me thankful for the right to medical treatment, credit and bedside mannerisms.
The operation is successful so Ma and Pa go out to dinner and celebrate. Only to come back to find out Mary has a fever and her condition has worsened. Mary needs another operation to remove the infected tissue. This makes me thankful for modern medicine.
They have no money left and the finance guy is still being a total ass. I'm guessing in the continued part of this episode he will learn a lesson in compassion. This makes me thankful for KARMA.
Pa then treks back home to sell the farm and everything they own to pay for Mary's medical bill now racking up. He barely makes the next train and sees a posting for jobs with the railroad at the train station. He takes the flier. This makes me thankful for advertisement.
Pa gets home and goes to the bank only to discover that the banker has closed up shop for good due to the economy. This makes me thankful for our mostly reliable financial institutions.
Desperate, Pa goes to the local mill and asks the owner to buy his farm. The owner can not afford to buy the farm but he does loan Pa enough money to get back on the train to go get a job with the railroad. Pa's friend decides to go with him and says "two incomes are better than one". Pa graciously accepts and they wave good-bye to their families and head off on foot. This makes me thankful for friends.
This episode is to be continued for another day. I actually had the pleasure of seeing Melissa Gilbert at a restaurant in SLC once. She is SO much prettier in person. This makes me thankful that there is hope for my kids to grow out of their goofy stage.
Happy Thanksgiving to my readers and I hope you have a lot of things to be thankful for. Even if it's the small things.