How will it all fit? Do I have enough? How much do I need? The table has to collapse under the weight right? Veggies, fruit, dip, turkey, stuffing, mashed, beans, butternut squash, ratatouille, gravy, biscuits--and don't forget dessert. I think I need more, don't you? Will there be enough for leftovers? On Thursday we celebrate the bounty of the fall harvest by gorging on all kinds of food and memories. Thanksgiving has all the blessings of Christmas without all the commercial trappings. It is a time of simple gratitude, grace, family and friends. A wonderful time of the year.
But as I imagine my blessings, I feel for those that struggle with even the meager. Although we offer food and prayers, there are many that will still go without. I spoke with a client the other day who was praying to be chosen by her church for a food basket--there are only so many baskets to go around. If not, she was going to have French fries and turkey gravy: that was all she had.
Forgotten, they wait for someone to care. We lift up prayers on Thursday, but we need to remember that in spite of our offerings, 21,000 people will die of starvation on Thanksgiving Day: 16,000 will be children. Nearly 1 child every 5 seconds.
Although prayer certainly helps, even Jesus fed the hungry. This year I will donate just a little extra to help world hunger. The way I figure it, if I just skip one side dish, my small donation of ten dollars may help to feed a family for a week. Certainly a few forks of corn or one less dessert is worth a life. If every one of my Facebook fans gave just that small amount, we could save hundreds, maybe thousands, of lives. Pretty small price to pay for all that we have. Who wants broccoli anyway?
Take the time to care. Show your thanks for all that you have and make a difference in the life of a child, a family. Offer them a few morsels of hope. Reach out to your favorite charity or church. Give just an extra helping to those that won't even have first-overs, let alone leftovers.
I will make room for an empty bowl on my table. For those that ask, I will say I donated the cost of just one dish to help end world hunger.