•Thankful Thursday•

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

 ~Matthew 25: 35-40

This week I am thankful to have the opportunity to help others in need.

I am still getting over the fact that Thanksgiving is next week, so I was surprised to see the Angel Tree when I walked into church on Sunday. The Angel Tree is hung with paper angels, each with the first name and age of a person (child or adult) and an item that they want for Christmas. The Angel Tree is very popular. Last year I missed church the first Sunday it was up and missed out on getting an angel.  The new rule is only one angel per person!

Since my kids are older, I like to choose a teenager or adult to buy for. The gifts they ask for are so humbling–a pair of jeans, a purse, rain boots–but I can see how even these basic items could stretch a tight budget. (Each person in this program has two angels, so children may have a clothing item on one and a toy on another.)

We also had a chance to sign up for one of the nights our church is staffing a hypothermia shelter later in the winter. Again, we were warned that if we want to volunteer to cook or serve dinner, we should sign up sooner rather than later. I have done this twice, and it is always an incredibly moving experience. It forces me to face the harsh reality of just how little some people have–imagine being grateful to be able to sleep on a “mattress” no thinker than a yoga mat on a hard linoleum floor.

Writing this post made me remember to clear my calendar for a service project at my son’s school next week. They always have the day before Thanksgiving off, and always have a sandwich making project in the morning, to make hundreds of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that a local organization uses in the “brown bag” lunches they give to their clients.  When I sit down to my family’s Thanksgiving feast, I say a prayer for the people who will be nourished by our simple sandwiches.

Is there a volunteer activity that you enjoy doing?