You Gave Thanks, You Ate. What Now?
We had dinner at dad and mom’s. There was family. There was football. There were friends. There was turkey. There was cranberry sauce. There was stuffing. There was political talk. There was religious talk. There was philosophical talk. There was laughter. There was reminiscing. It was a great day. And now it’s the next day.
There is normally a high associated with big events, holidays and get-togethers. When the day or the event is over, life resumes, with left-overs reminding you of the festivities for a few days. Life goes back to normal and you begin to prepare for the next big thing. In the case of American Thanksgiving, that next big thing is Christmas. It’s a big holiday season and people begin to set their minds towards gifts and the new year.
But, something else happens during the season which we don’t pay enough attention to. During the holiday season, some of us look for ways to share with the “less fortunate.” We look for shelters where we can serve on Thanksgiving morning. We look for places to donate our clothes. We look to work with homeless. Journalists look for great stories and people who are doing things out of the ordinary during the holiday season. It’s a great time. But what happens when the holiday is done? Most of us go back to our regular lives. We are not as concerned about the homeless, disenfranchised, disadvantaged or disabled because our own lives take over.
I’m sure the aforementioned people are grateful for the extra care and attention they receive during the holidays. But, when the holidays are done, what next?
I’m just as guilty of this as the next person. I serve when I can. I give when I pull up to the stoplight. I drop a few bucks in when I pass someone in the train stations. But, I can do more. I can care more. My sensibilities for care get heightened during the holiday season and that shouldn’t be the case. We often placate ourselves by thinking if we do a good deed during the holiday season, it somehow is worth more and covers us for the rest of the year. But people have challenges year round. We don’t pay enough intentional attention.
I’m not writing because I’ve fixed this in my own life and I’m now lambasting you for not doing enough. I’m writing because I’m thinking about how I can do more. I’ve come up with a few things:
- I can place 12 additional non-holiday dates in my calendar where I can intentionally serve. This means at least once per month, I will seek a service opportunity in addition to what I’m already doing. It doesn’t have to be big. It can be giving a gift card. It can be taking 15 minutes to simply sit and speak with someone who needs it. It can be making a card from scratch with my kids and delivering it to someone who needs it. It can be making an extra blessing bag then intentionally searching for someone to give it to that day instead of it being accidental. There are so many opportunities
- I can invite others to participate with me. I’m an encourager by nature and my friends jokingly tell me I’m always inviting them to start a new challenge of some sort. Well, maybe the next challenge is to regularly serve and give…at least once per month.
- I can share ideas of things to be done. Some people don’t act because they are simply not sure of what they can do. They are not sure because they may lack time, transportation or money. Maybe, I can share some ideas once a month.
This is just a start. I’m calling myself out right now to be more intentional about serving others. Like everyone else, I have life challenges and struggles. But, this is a reset because as I share my story, I can actively serve others in their stories also.
What about you? You gave thanks, you ate. What now?
