If the unemployed across the Magic and Wood River valleys lived in a single community this Thanksgiving Day, they would constitute south-central Idaho's fifth-largest city - right behind Hailey and just ahead of Rupert.

Yet there were 75,850 of your friends and neighbors working in the eight-county region during October - meaning that 2009 will probably wind up second or third all time on the list of years in which the region had the most jobs.

So whether you buy the glass-half-empty or glass-half-full explanation, it's clear we're better off at the moment than most of America.

In Twin Falls, Jayco employment is on the rebound. Jerome, Cassia and Minidoka counties continue to attract employers, and although the real estate bust has been real enough in south-central Idaho you need only look at Idaho's Treasure Valley - and specifically Canyon County - to see how large numbers of empty houses and storefronts weigh on other areas' recovery.

Count your blessings. It could be worse.

A look back 25 years is instructive. In 1984, from Glenns Ferry to Malta, nobody was building. The agriculture recession - compounded by a national economic downturn - froze south-central Idaho's economy, which was much less diversified than it is today. Houses and commercial developments begun in 1981 or 1982 often sat unfinished for years. The dairy industry was modest compared with today, and the critical mass of retail jobs that Twin Falls acquired after the opening of the Magic Valley Mall in 1986 didn't exist yet.

Officially, the unemployment rate in the central Magic Valley - Twin Falls, Jerome and Gooding counties - hit double-digits in 1984. Unofficially, it was probably higher and many moved elsewhere looking for jobs.

Then, too, there's been a sea change in expectations in our valley. Family farms were disappearing right, left and sideways 25 years ago, leaving a profound sense of unease across the community. There was a real question in the minds of many whether this corner of Idaho had a future worth sharing.

Now, there's no doubt of that. It's not a question of whether our economy will rebound, but when. Folks in the thousands aren't thinking about pulling up stakes.

But that doesn't mean our current pain isn't real enough. Six thousand nine hundred eleven don't have jobs this Thanksgiving Day, and more are underemployed or discouraged by the labor market.

In our valleys, economic growth must be the priority - but so must easing the transition to better days for our neighbors. Compassion isn't just nice this holiday season; it's necessary.

We'll get through this. Thank God.