What Happened to the Giving?
By Julia A. Keirns
(This article was published at ChildrensMall.com on November 3, 2000)
During a recent conversation about how quickly Thanksgiving is coming up, a writer friend of mine relayed a story to me that I would like to quickly share. She had written a story about two kidney transplant patients – the one who received and the one who gave. It was a wonderful story with a happy ending. Last year on Thanksgiving Day, one of the patients, the one who received, telephoned her long distance, and said, “Today is Thanksgiving and I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful article you wrote about us.” My friend was moved to tears and replied, “Nobody has ever gone out of their way before to thank me like that. I think you’ve got the right idea about Thanksgiving.”
By the way, the article my friend wrote was published at Thanksgiving time because of the fact that it was about giving…a person GAVE their kidney to another.
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The holiday season is once again upon us. It’s true. It is here. You know, the older I get, the quicker time seems to fly. People are rummaging through their attics, digging out the holiday decorations, and preparing to put up the Christmas tree. Didn’t I just get done putting it all away from last Christmas? None-the-less, it is time to get it all out again. But what happened to Thanksgiving?
Somehow, somewhere along the way, Thanksgiving got lost in the shuffle. With the popularity of Halloween rising to staggering numbers in recent years, and all the Christmas commercialism, Thanksgiving seems to have been all but forgotten. In stores, aisles and aisles have been filled with Christmas decorations already. Only small sections of shelves have been devoted to the turkeys and the pilgrims.
Thanksgiving is mostly a Christian holiday, so maybe that explains it. Many people are not Christians, so they see no need to celebrate a day that is devoted to giving thatnks to a God they don’t believe in. Thanksgiving originated, as we all should know, from the first pilgrims giving thanks to God for their bountiful harvest in their new land. We have continued that tradition to this day. God provides for us in wonderful ways, not just through food. There are many things to always be thankful for – our homes, clothes, vehicles, family, friends, money, jobs, and our health just to name a few. And don’t forget to be thankful for the wonderful writers who write articles and stories for us to read.
I would like to suggest a revival of Thanksgiving and make a point that we should give special thanks this year to all those in our lives who deserve it. Not only does God deserve our thanks, but teachers, parents, mechanics, friends who are always there for us, neighbors, anyone and everyone you can think of who has ever done something for you, and who deserves to be told thank you. Buy some cheap thank you cards at the local dollar store and send them out to everyone you can think of. Can you even imagine the joy you might bring into someone’s miserable day or otherwise lonely life? You could be the one who makes a difference in their life this year. You could be the one to bring them to tears.
In the midst of the hustle and bustle of getting the turkey ready, preparing the dressing, making the pumpkin pie, and smashing the potatoes, remember the real reason for Thanksgiving. Remember to invite God into your day and tell Him thank you for all He has done and provided in the past year. Be a blessing to someone in your life and tell them thank you.
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My writer friend is 36 years old, and to never have had anyone go out of their way before to tell her thanks, I think is a shame. The fact that she was moved to tears tells me that she will remember it for a long time. It also tells me that she was impressed by this ladies’ thankfulness, and it probably changed her whole perspective of Thanksgiving. It has made her focus more on others and on her own thankfulness. I believe I will try harder this year to make that special effort to be a blessing to someone by telling them thank you. After all, it is Thanksgiving time, a time for GIVING thanks.