Happy Thanksgiving 5and2Guys and Gals!!! I hope this post finds you all doing well and enjoying Thanksgiving day with family and friends. For some people, Thanksgiving is just a day for getting a big dinner and watching football. For others, it is about seeing family and friends and catching up for lost time. Some of us make it a point to remember the Pilgrims and the Native Americans first dinner, and how our country began. What I am remembering is what Thanksgiving is really about, and that is about giving thanks. And giving thanks begins with gratitude. Let me share with you how turkey dinners helped me be grateful.
Our Annual Turkey Dinner Delivery
For that last 10 years or so, my family and I have volunteered to take turkey dinners out to people who have challenges in their life that limits their ability to provide for themselves. These people are our family, friends, and neighbors who may be struggling with health or financial issues and simply need a helping hand from someone who cares. The local fire company puts on a big turkey dinner and provides these meals to those in need. We heard about it through our church and have volunteered ever since.
We delivered 30 dinners around our local communities this past Sunday. As we arrived on people’s doorsteps, we were invited to bring the dinners in and experienced true gratitude from those we were helping. The look in their eyes and the gratitude in their hearts said, without words, how thankful they were that someone cared. It is a feeling that touches my heart even to this day. It reminded me of how blessed my family and I am to be able to volunteer each year. It also reminds me of all that I have to be thankful.
Why I am Thankful
As we visited these homes and delivered dinners, we saw our neighbors who are faced with challenges that I have not personally experienced. We visited homes where either the husband or wife was physically incapacitated and was fully reliant on their spouse to meet their every need. We visited homes where money was a challenge and homes were in dire need of some love and care. We visited homes where grandma and grandpa’s plate was full, but not with food. Their plates were full with the burden and worry of caring for grandchildren with little to no help from the children’s parents. I am grateful that I have not had to experience the hardships that I witnessed when delivering the meals. These people need our prayers and our efforts.
Seeing their challenges reminded me to be thankful for the things I take for granted. I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for the life we have. I am thankful for the food we have to eat and the warm, loving home to have it in. I am thankful for our health. I am thankful we are all living, breathing, and able to enjoy another Thanksgiving together. My cup runneth over with more than I deserve and I am humbled by my blessings.
Conclusion
Today is about more than eating a turkey dinner and getting second helpings. It is more than worrying about who will get the last piece of pumpkin pie. It is a day to be thankful for the many blessings we have and the loved ones in our lives. Give your family and friends your undivided attention. Make them more important than the football game that is on. More important than the meal you are about to eat. Be grateful that they are there and you are there and that you are able to see them and experience a day of thanks with them. Be grateful for the meal you are having and the hands that prepared it. With all that we have, it is easy to take it all for granted. Take a moment to remember that everything we have is temporary, and that we need to cherish it while we have it.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
God bless.