Salute to the Bulge

Thanksgiving is wrapping up for me. Several return trips to the trough, a couple of naps, and many hours later, I’m finally ready to call it for the night.

I certainly hope that every American was able to celebrate in some way today. I want to thank my local food bank for putting on a big spread for people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to enjoy the holiday, and for getting out the word so that people had time to donate money toward this wonderful event. I also heard that Feeding America served Thanksgiving dinner to the Hurricane Sandy victims, many of whom still do not have power as December gets closer and closer.

Yum.

I’m grateful that we are able to gather around a well-set table so overflowing with food that it doesn’t even all fit on the table. I’m happy to be able to enjoy thanksgiving under these ideal circumstances, but I know that there are many people who have a different experience altogether. I’m very thankful for the fact that my family is in a place where I can help others enjoy a thanksgiving dinner today.

I know that not everyone who went down to the food bank today has been prosperous at some point, many of them have come from shaky foundations too, but particularly in these times there are new people in need. People who were in their own homes, working their own jobs, just a couple of years ago. People who have been trampled by the economy and haven’t been able to get back up yet. For these people, perhaps more than others, it is important to help them remember the small niceties that come from having stability, so that they can remember it, taste it, and continue to aim for it. We don’t want those people to give up, we want them to remember and aim to return to those times.

Every year we have a lot to be thankful for, but the people closest to us, and the hope we feel are some of the greatest gifts.

 

 

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