As I’m trying to compose this column, my cat Troi is sitting next to me on my desk at home.

He will sit next to me for hours as I type, providing silent but attentive company. My wife and I have had many cats over the years, but I’ve never had one such as him. He will follow me from room to room and come when called. He sleeps next to me many nights.

Troi has a mysterious origin story, like all stray cats. He turned up on our small front porch a couple of winters ago. We provided him with some blankets and would put out a bowl of food. He slept and ate but showed no interest in us.

Come good weather he frequently hung out under a clump of ornamental grass in the front yard. Again, he was not friendly, but something happened and he wanted to come inside.

He adopted us.

I’m convinced that he is actually our late dog Bear – a shepherd/husky mix – reincarnated. Bear loved everyone but I was clearly his human.

I’ve really appreciated Troi this year. His presence has been comforting to someone who has had a difficult time with the isolation required by the pandemic.

aving a loving pet is one of those small elements of one’s life that bring not just a sense of comfort but a sense of normal.

This year has caused me to appreciate the little moments in life as the big moments have either been denied us or have been so modified, they are barely recognizable.

We are all coming into the holiday season, a time of big moments, many of us will be painfully aware of the many challenges this year of a pandemic, an economic melt-down and a very divisive election has brought us.

So, I’m appreciative of everyday interactions that might seem too normal to really notice in any other year, but I’ve noticed this year.

You realize that what can sustain you through this awful mess is your community. Define “community” as you will: church, work, neighborhood, family, friends. For me, it’s the blend of people I actually know and folks to whom I’m connect on social media.

When I walk into the Pride store in East Longmeadow on my way to the office, the guy making my breakfast sandwich remembers me and what I order, despite the number of customers he serves and the fact I’m wearing a mask.

My staff has done a great job this year with two new editions launched in the middle of a pandemic. That little community has also sustained me.

I like the fact when I buy a Powerball ticket that Dave Glantz at Buckeye Brothers is always ready to talk with me about what’s happening in Springfield. We may not always agree but we have a good time solving the city’s problems.

The same thing happens to me at City Jake’s, my favorite breakfast and lunch place in the city. Jake and I are polar-opposites on most political issues but we agree to disagree and speak. He still has the best fries in the city.

The letter carrier in my neighborhood always says hello and in fact, many people walking down the street will offer greetings and I don’t know any of them.

I use the closest Walgreen’s to my house as our pharmacy. While the staff there is routinely friendly and proficient, there is one young clerk who goes out of her way to treat customers well. I don’t know her at all, but she acts as if she knows everyone.

Our mechanic, Mike, at Main Street Auto has repaired our cars and helped us out for more than 20 years. This year has been no exception and again he is part of that “community” on which I depend.

My friends Joe and Toni Hendrix, the owners of Smokey Joe’s Cigar Lounge, along with my fellow members have provided a sense of the normal once they were allowed to reopen. They are amazing hosts and have a created, even under the current awful conditions, a singular place in the region.

I’m not a Pollyanna. I know for many people this is a very hard time of year. This holiday season many people are facing the death of loved ones, unemployment and eviction. The holidays compel people to focus on what is not normal, what problems they are facing, as they try to continue holiday traditions.

What has helped me are members of my own community and this holiday season I’m thankful for every little moment that they have provided this year that has loomed so large in my life.