GIVE: To Give Thanks
Before our daughter was born, we spent one entire Thanksgiving Day feeding thousands of homeless & hungry in the park, through an amazing organization called Union Station. This experience profoundly impacted my husband and I, and has shaped how we hope to raise our daughter-with a charitable heart.
However, as I reflect on this today, I am ashamed it was only that one year that we physically showed-up. Family commitments and travel have kept us away. Thanksgiving, for most of us, is an important Holiday to reconnect with family. Immersing ourselves in time-honored-traditions while passing them down to the next generation. But what else do I want to pass down to the next generation...
So while grocery shopping this afternoon, the homeless heavy on my heart, I was provided with my first teachable moment regarding hunger. Once I explained to our three year old that some children go to bed without food, she was more than enthusiastic to fill our cart for them & drop-off at our local Fire-Station (the promise of seeing a Big Red Shinny Fire Truck didn't hurt either).
I know we can do more. And I know there are more conversations ahead. And I know that I can't pretend to remotely understand hunger & homelessness, as my cart was overflowing with meals for my family. I shouldn't walk away feeling good about MYSELF. I know that's not the point. I know helping people less fortunate is a SELFLESS ACT. I know it is an act that can have a tremendous impact on the life of another human being. I know I have a lot to learn, and a lot to teach. But I also know, I'll keep trying... to do my part.
Many local Shelters, Fire-Stations and Churches accept canned goods to feed the hungry, while most shelters actually encourage your help on days that are NOT holiday's...as hunger is an everyday epidemic.
"There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread." ~Mahatma Gandhi
