The Spirit of Giving

The Spirit of Giving is upon us as we are entering the holiday season and I can feel the happiness coming from others around me. This time of year seems to bring joy and peace as we focus on being thankful and the upcoming celebration of our Saviour’s special day. You’ll no doubt begin to hear Christmas music in the stores now and you’ll be hearing the ringing of the bells of the Salvation Army. Decorations begin to change from orange and black to bright reds and greens. Yes, that sense of giving is certainly upon us.

We are just a few weeks away from Thanksgiving and we are planning our shopping list for what we need for our Thanksgiving recipes. Some are preparing their Thanksgiving thoughts that they’ll be entering into their Thankful Journals. Maybe you are creative and you enjoy putting words into poetry as you ponder what you’re thankful for. People celebrate Thanksgiving in other countries as well!

No matter where we are we can find ways to not only be thankful, but show that we’re thankful. Miss Monica June and Lady Jess are showing their thankfulness to our city’s Veterans today as they serve them a nice dinner at our church. What ways can you show your thankfulness?

Do you have a soup kitchen, rescue mission, or food closet that you can volunteer your time with? There are others who will not have as nice of a Thanksgiving as you will have. Do you shop at a store that has ‘buy one get one free’ sales? Can you pick up a few extra cans of cranberry sauce or a box of stuffing for the food closet? Can you donate your time to get your local food closet organized this Thanksgiving season? Maybe you know of a family that will have a harder time this month that you can send a food box to.

There’s so much more to being thankful than just ’saying’ what you’re thankful for. We can ’show’ thankfulness to others around us.

Psalm 100:4, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

Colossians 3:15, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

Psalm 95:2, “Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.”

I am thankful for many things. In 1995 my life took a turn for the worse. Our family had split apart and my two girls and I were left alone for Thanksgiving. A sweet lady name Miss Jeanne Hosse invited us to her tiny little apartment for a turkey dinner. Miss Monica June was just six months old and Lady Jess was about four years old. Between the four of us we would not have needed to eat very much. Yet, this lady went above and beyond what God had asked her to do. In her tiny kitchen she prepared a Thanksgiving Feast large enough to feed a few families and still have left overs. Maybe you think that’s nice of her and really what’s the big deal?

Miss Jeanne was dieing of cancer. She was ill from extensive Chemo treatments and didn’t have family in town to care for her. She lived across the street from me and didn’t want us to be alone for Thanksgiving. She was a petite lady with barely enough strength to stand for very long. She rose up early in the morning to begin preparing this fantastic meal for us. There was no way I could say no to her, she insisted and wouldn’t let me decline the invitation.

Here was this woman, who was not very old, and she was undergoing Chemo treatments, ill from this cancer that was taking her life and she reached out to me and my two girls when no one else did. She wanted to be sure that we were not alone. I can’t tell you how much her sacrifice meant to me. She is in heaven now and every year I think of her as we prepare our meals.

I am thankful that God restored our family and has given us two more children. For the last several years we have opened our home to others who didn’t have anyone to spend the day with. Here we are in a tiny home ourselves, but we squeeze in every person we can to our dining room table. In addition to that we set up TV trays as well. The simple act of kindness that Miss Jeanne showed us has now created a tradition in our family as we follow in the heritage she created in our hearts.

Miss Jeanne did more than just say she was thankful, she showed it by extending her love toward us. Is there a family that you can help this Thanksgiving? Do you know of a family that has suffered loss this year that you can help make their day sweeter? Can you take a pie and flowers over to an elderly neighbor? Can you bake cookies for a local nursing home? Let’s do more than just say what we’re thankful for, let’s do something to show how thankful we are.