24 November 2006 3:51 pm
Thanksgiving
This year, we spent Thanksgiving at our house, which we haven't done since before Dylan was born. Geoff's parents arrived in time to enjoy a wonderful dinner with us, and they will stay for a few more days to spend time with all of us.
Leading up to Thanksgiving, there were several events that made me think about what we are fortunate for. However, the one in particular that struck me this year was participating in the food drive at Dylan's and Andrea's school.
The food drive was intended to help provide Thanksgiving dinner to those who otherwise would not celebrate the holiday. The organization to which the school was contributing food was providing turkeys, but none of the side dishes. And to me, Thanksgiving is about the side dishes; I would enjoy Thanksgiving just as much without the turkey. So, the request came to help provide families with the traditional food to accompany a turkey: stuffing, sweet potatoes, vegetables, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and a few others. We went to the store and purchased food specifically for the food drive, since we had short notice before they desired to have the food. We bought enough of each of the items mentioned above for a meal that could serve at least ten people. Our grand total? Close to a round ten dollars.
Ten dollars. That really struck me. I began to think about how often I spend ten dollars when I go out to lunch. And how little I think about it when I do. I then thought about how much that ten dollars would mean to a family on Thanksgiving. Ten dollars.
While Dylan didn't get to join us for the shopping this year, he did help sort the food into two bags, one for Andrea to take to school and one for him to take. I hope that the conversations we had around helping others who are in need will stay with him. And I hope that I will continue to realize how much we have for which I am thankful.
