The meaning of holidays has somewhat shifted in recent years. Before, holidays brought about thoughts of rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation. These days, between scheduling gatherings of friends and family, shopping, and balancing the other parts of life that don’t seem to realize that the holiday is upon us (yes, there is a reason why hospitals, police stations, and other places are open on holidays), retailers have decided that “Black Friday” isn’t good enough – holiday deals must start the evening of Thanksgiving.
In my world, holidays usually mean a scheduling nightmare. I start blocking off dates early so that I don’t mix up our events and double-book. Thankfully, I enjoy the events, so the stress ends as I step onto the host’s front porch.
That’s why I was at a loss this year when I discovered we only had one event planned for this week. One event? Where’s the challenge in that? And the kicker – it’s being held only 10 miles away from home and I wasn’t asked to bring any food. Even with a five-week-old daughter to add to the mix, I feel like I’m missing out on . . .something.
Oh, right. That “something” is stress and being overly scheduled.
Knowing that I had a few extra hours to play with this week, my husband and I decided to look into serving opportunities for Thanksgiving Day. My mom and dad even decided to join us. So Sunday, I started calling around.
My first stop was a friend who is a pastor at a rather well-connected church. He connected me with a family who holds Thanksgiving dinner for people who don’t have anywhere to go for the holiday. Perfect.
Well, not so perfect. The friends of that family were all taking part in Ventura’s One City, One Meal event, so the family (and hence, the dinner) wasn’t needed.
I broadened my search. After looking at One City, One Meal, a county-wide network of service opportunities, Craig’s List’s volunteer postings, searching the web for non-profit organizations in my area, and calling a few other churches, I was about to give up.
Then the phone rang.
It was a team member from my church; he was wondering if I could help a woman who holds Thanksgiving dinner at her home for people who don’t have anywhere to go. I was back to square one, just in a different setting.
The woman was very nice, grateful for the offer of help, and didn’t need anything because another church had given her most of the things she needed.
I hung up, deflated. How could it be this hard to find someone in need?
Then the woman called back. “My daughter can’t have regular pumpkin pie, and it would make her so happy to have it. But it’s $15.”
One of my core values is multiplication. If I could characterize my hobbies, ministry, and professional life with an image, it would be a stone making ripples in the water. Everything I do, I want to see it multiplied.
The pumpkin pie wasn’t multiplied. It didn’t create another pie, it wasn’t used to create a recipe to feed more families, it wasn’t served at an event that motivated people to go out and serve. But it made one girl happy and enabled one mom to see her child participate in an anticipated moment. And that is worth giving thanks.
