Here's how You can be the 'Giving' in Thanksgiving

Some of my favorite memories of Thanksgiving are those where we shared our table and broke bread with strangers.

When I was about 14, my Dad invited a man who worked for him that was from South Africa.  He had come to Michigan to cut diamonds in his shop.  And what I remember was how good it felt to share our traditions and food with a new guest that had never experienced Thanksgiving dinner before.

It was so special to me that I still remember it vividly today….about 4 decades later.

Another favorite of mine was a “Friendsgiving” my husband I did about 10 years ago.  Besides inviting about 12 friends over, we also hosted 2 marines that were based in San Diego.  They didn’t have time off to go home to their families for the holiday, so they came to our home instead.

And ironically, one of them was from my home state.  We immediately bonded. 

In both cases, these people were strangers to me when they walked into my home.  But by the end of the meal, they were friends.  Even family.

There is something special about this holiday we call Thanksgiving.

And it’s been around for over 400 years.

Thanksgiving as we know it today, was modeled after the very first one back in 1621.  Back then, it wasn’t a family gathering.  It was a community gathering with the Native American tribe, the Wampanoag people and the English colonists, the Puritans.  And it was a shared experience (that lasted 3 days!) that was held in gratitude and prayer. 

Now I’m a Christmas girl and Thanksgiving has always been the marker of the beginning of Christmas to me.  But this week, in thinking back over the years, I realize that Thanksgiving has held a special place in my heart too.

If you know of someone who could use some company, why not invite them over?  Maybe they live far from their family and they don’t have the time to go home.  Maybe they are a college student?  Or from another country?  Or maybe they no longer have family to celebrate with.

I promise you that although they will be grateful and happy for the invitation, it will be you that will get more out of this then they will.  It will fill your heart.  And you will remember this Thanksgiving for years to come.

Thanksgiving is our time to celebrate abundance, gratitude, and relationship….whether that be with family or your chosen family of friends.

Regardless of your plans this year, think about how you can bring someone new to the table.  It will fill the “giving” part of Thanksgiving.

Simone Weil believed, “To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul.” 

That’s a wonderful thought to meditate upon this Thanksgiving.

Cheers to you for a day that fills your heart to overflowing.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Positively,

Deanne