Well, I can hardly believe that the holidays are right around the corner. I remember back in July when I would jokingly say, “Better start your Christmas shopping.” Now look, Christmas is about a month away! It’s like when you look at your newborn child, and then you look again and they’re off to college. (Waaaah! I can’t think that far ahead!)
With Thanksgiving being next week, I thought I’d give a little encouragement to the residents of FresYes. This is the time of year when people tend to donate money, time, presents and food. Some people like to donate to big organizations, while others like to donate locally. Businesses do toy drives, coat drives, food drives. My son’s school does a food drive. I’ve started to see Starbucks advertise their toy drive. If you want to give, there are plenty of opportunities to do so. In fact, I’m guessing many organizations are counting on your generosity.
Now, I’d like to add one more thing to your plate, if you’d be so kind enough to let me. I’d like to challenge you to give to someone in your community.
Here are two stories that warm my heart:
*A friend of mine just recently moved into a new neighborhood. She wanted to get to know her neighbors, and Halloween was right around the corner. She found out that about 150 kids trick or treat in her neighborhood. Her and her husband decided to BBQ 150 hot dogs, and they were going to use Halloween as an opportunity to get to know the neighbors. As we all know, it rained on Halloween. As the weather changed, my friend changed her plans as well. They still made hot dogs and passed them out, but they also open up their garage and others in the neighborhood joined her in passing out their candy as well. It was a great way to reach out to those in her area.
*My church is part of a couple of churches that provide Thanksgiving dinner to a local neighborhood. The people of these churches donate money, food, time to make the event possible. Other people then sponsor a table and make a full dinner for 8. These people bring the dinner to Dickey Park (downtown), and people from the neighborhood come and enjoy a meal. Maybe these people can’t afford a meal. Or maybe they have no one to eat with. Whatever the case, they can sit and dine with others who care for them.
These are just a couple of examples of what makes me proud of our community.
So this is my challenge to you this Thanksgiving…. Reach out to someone in your neighborhood, or community. Is there a single mom you know who may need some help? What about an elderly neighbor who could use some company? Maybe there’s a college student who can’t go home for the holidays, but you know that you can welcome them into your home. I urge you extend a helping hand. Not just a helping one, but a loving one as well.
If we all did something small in our neighborhoods, it would then add up to something big! Wouldn’t that be amazing?
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