Too many people are obsessed with Thanksgiving as the kickoff for the holiday shopping season or as one of the very few days a year they get to indulge in food without feeling overly guilty.
But some folks do take the time to focus on the thanks part of the holiday. They are among the precious few who find a sort of spiritual uplifting by actually reflecting on the tangible and intangible gifts that make life rich.
What we’d like to ask everyone this year to do is focus – even if for a few moments a day – on the giving half of the word for this holiday. How many others could benefit if all of us who are comfortable physically and financially decided to make it a point to share something of ourselves with the less fortunate?
And we’re not just talking about writing a check to a church or synagogue or a favorite charity.
We’re talking about the type of giving that the volunteers do at Resurrection House, for example, which provides meals and shelter to the homeless. If you’ve ever worked in a "soup kitchen," you know that the work can entail tedious tasks. And not everyone who accepts assistance from shelters feels the urge to say, "Thank you."
Another type of giving comes in the form of the people who clean up the rights-of-way of local roads. Not quite two weeks ago, a group of volunteers collected nine bags of garbage that had been strewn along Ocean Boulevard on Siesta Key. These volunteers could have found plenty of other activities to occupy their time on a gorgeous fall Saturday morning, but they put in the effort to make the island look better for all of us.
One of the simplest ways we can give of ourselves is to say something nice to someone – or even just offer a smile. Not everyone smiles back, of course, but it’s amazing how a smile can elicit a bright, happy look from a person who just moments before appeared to be having a really bad day.
Another very simple way of giving to others is acknowledging that they’ve done something helpful or particularly thoughtful. We’ll wager that most of us who were taught to write real thank-you notes either resort to a quick e-mail these days or put off doing anything until it would be far too embarrassing to acknowledge the effort for which we were thankful.
Yet, how many of us cherish written notes from folks telling us how much they appreciated what we did for them. We’ve known people to store away such correspondence in special boxes, like treasures, to be referred to now and again because of the feelings of warmth and happiness they spark.
On Thanksgiving this year, all of us should take time to give of ourselves in some way. We believe we will find much to feel thankful for in the responses we receive.