Thanksgiving

Well I thought I should post something very meaningful to celebrate this holiday. What can I say...hmmm? I could say something about the five kernels that the pilgrims put by their plates every year to remind themselves of how they had nothing and to be thankful. Nah, let me just tell you about yesterday instead.

Alright so just with our family alone we have 15 people for Thanksgiving. The Walton's remember?? We have two little old ladies at church who have absolutely no family so we're having them over as well. Then there's another gal who's a few years older than me and she's divorced. Her daughter is going to be with her dad all day so we invited her too. Then there's my brother and sister-in-law who don't have anywhere to be, so add them. That's 20 people.... So there I was, feeling so good about myself that we had included others on this holiday.

Then my mom calls. Here's the deal....

She was at work yesterday (she's the secretary at our church). A woman and her young daughter come into the church. They look somewhat dirty and lost. She tells my mom her story. They've been living in a cheap motel for the last three months. She has a four year old daughter and an 8 year old son who it turns out goes my brother's Noah's school and he has epilepsy. She was at her wits end. They couldn't pay for the hotel this week and the place they're moving into won't be ready until the end of next week. So they were staying in the car. All she wanted was a few dollars to do some laundry so her son could have some clean clothes for school. Now people come into the church all the time asking for money. There was just something about this family that struck my mom. Now a sidenote on my mother, she is an amazing woman, the most giving person I know. She also has an amazing gift of discernment. And she knew this woman was the real deal. So tomorrow we will have another three people for dinner. This family. When she called and told me, she thought I might be shocked. I thought I might be too . But the more she told me about them, the more I knew that this is EXACLTY what this holiday is about. My grandma has bought enough food to feed all the homeless shelters in the city, so it's not like there isn't enough. But if we aren't willing to leave the comfort of our families and friends and share the blessings that we have been given, than how can be truly be thankful? Sometimes we have to see what other's DON'T have to realize how blessed we are with the things we DO have. Jesus said, "What you do for the least of these brothers, you do for ME."

So my thanksgiving lesson is for myself. Bless others with what you've been blessed with and you'll both share in the blessing.