There are a few traditions I’d like my family to have. Volunteering on Thanksgiving is one of those things. I have a lot of practice giving thanks with loved ones over a great meal on this holiday, but I want to do more to give others a reason to be thankful going forward. This year I got to start that tradition in our new town.
My mom and her two adopted daughters.
This year was like a right of passage. For the first time, ever, MY HOUSE hosted not one, but two holiday family dinners. I feel so grown up (read: old). At one point we had 11 people and 4 dogs. I don’t think that many living beings have been under our roof since the construction crew put up the roof.
Even so, on Thanksgiving morning, we got the turkey in the oven by 8AM. Then, from 9 to Noon, my mom and little sister came with me to St James Church. Together with other volunteers from the community, we prepared and served a Thanksgiving feast to those with no place to go.
What I loved about this event was how many different people and faith organizations were involved. The free, community Thanksgiving meal was a joint effort between the Salvation Army and St James, but so many community members (not affiliated with either) came to help and serve. I don’t really know these people but I love them.
As we start to make friends in our new community, these are the people I want to be friends with. People who would spend their holiday opening 100 cans of cranberry sauce, cutting 100 pies into 8 slices, and spending hours bringing food and smiles to people in need, making them to-go boxes, and cleaning it all up afterward.
Now I’m looking for a place in our community to volunteer for Christmas!
How did you celebrate Thanksgiving this year?
Do you think about how to give other people a reason to be thankful?
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