Light & Sweet:
Reaching out to others can be our ‘thank you note’ to the world… an active form of gratitude and a busy sort of prayer.

Slice of Love:

Thanks… With or Without Giving?  -From Jess

I hated thanksgiving.  My parents were divorced. It was only mom and I.  My mom thought it was wonderful to go into the city.  I remember how empty the train was.  I remember standing on the station, feeling that I wanted to be home.  The restaurants we went to were mediocre at best.  They made dishes with strange spices.  My mom had a kosher kitchen and she was a great cook. As we sat in the restaurant, I felt as if I didn’t have a home.  Nothing tasted good except dessert. Walking the streets of Manhattan, the wind wailed as it went through my outer clothing.  I understood what “chilled to the bone” meant.  Going home, I looked out the train window into other windows of tall buildings. I imagined the families gathered in love around the Thanksgiving table.  I asked God, “Don’t I deserve a real family?”  I never got an answer.  At sixty, not having an immediate family, I still feel I am missing something. I still feel loss.  Sometimes, I still ask God, “Don’t I deserve a family?”  Some people don’t understand.  What does a place at your table cost you?  Over the years, I have been hurt by those who don’t think of asking, “Would you like to join us?”  Yet, Jeanne and three friends have extended their hearts and tables to me this year… an open table with room for one more!  So, I am luckier than some.  The little girl in me keeps asking, “Why is it that people forget about the giving in Thanksgiving?”

Extra Helping:
We all deserve a family. Some of us are born into one and have a seat at the table for as long as we wish while others must look beyond the shadows and into the faces that emerge as chosen family. When someone recognizes us as family, it’s our cue to open our doors, our tables and our hearts. This little slice of love came from one of our ZipFriends in response to last week’s post, “Open Table: Room For One More.” http://tinyurl.com/2889toj It takes courage to speak up and share what it’s like to be a lady in waiting… for an invitation. Perhaps we can look at our invite as a thank you note to the world and a way of recycling the many blessings that come our way.

One for the Road:
How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it. – George Elliston