Thanksgiving generosity – a memoir: My table is spread with lavish appreciation. May it nourish your soul. Remind you how sacred is your life’s journey. Sustain you whenever remembering this truth might be a challenge. Inspire you to have more peace in your heart. To treasure that gift.
That, in a nutshell, is the simple peace that the true generosity of Thanksgiving offers.
Not just for one nation. Nor only once a year. But everywhere and every day. All year long. Because being thankful, feeling deep appreciation makes life worth living. Fuels your purpose. Helps you live your life with meaning. Every day. Each moment.
My grandmother used to spread a large table, every night, rivaling most Thanksgiving dinners I’ve seen in my life. And, she always set an extra plate. I asked my mother about this when I was of an age to notice this little habit of Grandma’s. One that no one else ever commented on. I soon learned that it was custom in Grandma’s home. Dating back to the Great Depression.
Did they have a lot of money then, or in my youth following World War 2? Nothing ostentatious. Somehow, with the family sticking together and filling in so all had what they needed. There was more than enough. Food at least, a home without leans or notes on it. Taxes paid. Clothing. And a vegetable and fruit patch out back. With large, pom-pom size flowers to sway in the breeze. A little girl’s dream.
Oh, and the extra plate? Mom said it was in case a stranger turned up, hungry. During the Depression, Grandma didn’t have money to pay many a wandering man looking for work. But, she put broom in his hand and would say, “When you’re done sweeping my porch, come. Sup with us. We have plenty.”
I was impressed. Because she taught me without telling. That generosity is the spirit that inspires and fuels our Thanksgiving.
So, thank you for reading my memoirs. And sometimes sharing your own. Or silently for affirming, as I do, the miracle of our connection.
Always from my heart,
Donna
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