All Buttoned Up and Beautiful...

Those are the words Kathy Bates uttered when she found her money jar in the charred rubble of her home. It was only a movie, of course, called A Home of Our Own... As she shook it, then held it close, she was reassuring her children that they would be okay.

Sometimes, when things happen in close proximity, we are tempted to call it a coincidence. And sometimes, it isn't any such thing. Sometimes, thoughts, memories, and heartfelt desires converge and result in action.

But only sometimes....

Since I worked yesterday, my Thanksgiving meal was postponed until tomorrow. So today, I am busy baking pies and making stuffing for the bird.

And tomorrow around 1, my boys will join me and we will eat the traditional feast. Together around the table, my son, his two sons, and my oldest grandson, we will share the joy and remember those who cannot be with us.

I took a break from the meal preparations to go see what the mailman brought today. There, mixed in with advertisements for Christmas sales, and offers of significant savings on magazine subscriptions, was a little letter....

Not big, not fancy, not particularly showy, but packed with meaning. The local rescue mission is asking for help. And the letter starts: “Here's how your gift will touch thousands of lives this winter....” Well, of course, I had to read it.

It seems that they are going to be able to provide a complete turkey dinner, with all the trimmings, for just $1.92 per person. They plan on feeding 15,000 people this holiday season. And just as important, they will be providing 10,000 nights of safe shelter for people who would otherwise be sleeping in alleys, abandoned buildings, cars or other dangerous and inhospitable places.

Wow, that really struck a chord with me: dangerous and inhospitable places. I have noticed that those people never look at me when I drive down the street. I thought it was because they are embarrassed by their circumstances, and maybe they are. Or maybe it hurts to see the disdain in the eyes that look in their direction.

I saw the stark contrasts between living conditions just yesterday. One patient I visited lived with six other people in a rundown 2-bedroom apartment. They didn't have the money to buy his medications, and there was no hint of a festive holiday meal being prepared.

And, at another home, the food was in abundance: turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, string beans, corn, jello salad, fruit salad, rolls and more, much more. Still another home was beautifully appointed, with the most expensive things available. Though it was comfortable, and the people were very nice, I was taken aback by the contrasts between the places I had been.

And the little letter ends with this: We know your gifts are a sacrifice, especially in today's challenging economy. Thank you for caring! And there it was, all buttoned up and beautiful: the opportunity to share what I have with someone else.

So I am asking you to do the same, in your own community and in your own way: Find a need and embrace it!

Happy Holidays!