It’s Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S. and, as with most holiday mornings, I’ve been up for a while preparing for today’s feast. The turkey’s nearly defrosted, the salads are made, appetizers are ready and what remains to be done is manageable.
So, I poured a cup of coffee and sat down to read today’s newspaper.
Every year, on Thanksgiving Day, our local newspaper includes a section called, “Thanksgiving Wishes.” Here is a sampling of some of the wishes posted here in West Michigan today:
- Donations so 80-year-old can get hearing aids that fit her correctly
- A request to build a ramp for a homebound woman with M.S.
- Christmas presents for the small children of a young widow
- Diapers for a Women’s shelter
- Dental work for an elderly man who no longer smiles
- Propane to heat the home of a family this winter
- A job for a journeyman electrician, unemployed for 18 months
- A bicycle for a special needs boy
Even before I read this, I knew that my family & I have so much. We have more food than we can eat, we have good health to climb the stairs throughout our house, we are warm. Later today, we can see and hear our grandchildren as they burst through the door. We’re all comfortably dressed, and we can come & go as we please. We have abundance in many many forms.
The kids have been asking me “Mom what do you want for Christmas?” Well, I know what I want and it’s not more stuff. I have what I need, more than I deserve. What I want to do is save this special section and re-read it tomorrow, on Black Friday, and find the wish I can fulfull. Happy Thanksgiving all !!
For more information, go to http://www.mlive.com/living/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/11/time_to_give_help_others_throu.html