Every society has a designated day for giving thanks. Our day, in November, is perhaps my favorite holiday. It’s truly a national holiday and, while celebrated on different days in different lands, an international holiday in spirit. It’s a day on which we count our abundance, whatever that amounts to.
For many years of my life, Thanksgiving was a day I worked, and when I finally had the day off and was available, I found myself alone and uninvited to any banquet or celebration. I was alone in New York without family — and people without family nearby can often spend holidays on their own. It’s a weird feeling and can easily lead to depression and feelings of isolation. So much expectation surrounds holidays and the marketing folks can make you feel even worse than you already feel.
Being the kind of gal I am, I decided to do something worthwhile on that holiday alone, and I found myself volunteering to serve meals to the homeless, ill and needy. It was a good day and I felt busy, vital and necessary. At the end of the day, the group of volunteers all sat down together and had our meal. I met some very nice people that day and I’ve always looked back on it as a day when I saved myself.
Anyway, not everyone’s going to volunteer, or think about it. Some people are so alone they can’t get past the solitary nature of their lives. As we’re planning this year for our celebrations and our banquets, think of someone you may know who has nowhere to go on this day. Maybe it’s someone from another country or someone like I was, living in New York, with family far away.
Share this invite idea with your children. It may be that they also know someone who is alone at the holidays. Holidays are more enriched when there are “new friends” at the table. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks for reading.
