I thought I would share a few Thanksgiving stories as we think about getting ready for the holiday. Here is one of my favorites.

I worked for a three-star admiral who was a kind and gentle soul. At the same time he was sharp as a knife and a deep thinker who ran circles around everyone else who was working on a problem. One of my favorite bosses.

This particular year, he and his wife welcomed their first grandchild into the family. Their daughter and son-in-law were struggling with some concerns about the new baby and grandma went to help out for about three weeks – three weeks that included the Thanksgiving holiday. His work kept him in the office and he, sadly, remained home alone.

There was a junior officer (0-2, I believe) with a wife and two small children living on the same base as the Admiral. And they happened to attend chapel at the same time. The junior officer was involved in some church activity and the young wife was sitting alone waiting for the service to begin. It was then that the Admiral slipped into the service, sitting on the same pew as the wife.

The two struck up a conversation and she learned that “Joe” (not his real name) would be alone on Thanksgiving. She invited him to the meal that the little family would be having in their apartment on Thanksgiving. Joe asked if he could bring something and she replied “pies,”

It was then that the husband returned to his wife’s side and, recognizing the Admiral, greeted him. His wife, smiling asked, “Oh, you already know Joe?” The husband blushed, the admiral smiled and the service began.

Between Sunday and Thanksgiving the husband made a few things known to his wife.

1. NEVER call the admiral Joe. Either call him admiral or sir, but not Joe. The wife’s explanation that Joe had asked her to call him by his first name was not appreciated by the husband.
2. The Thanksgiving menu, table arrangements, cleanliness of the apartment were all modified; and the husband grew more nervous by the day.
3. There was now a specific timeline for the event with details about appetizers and when the turkey should come out of the oven; and the husband grew more nervous by the day.

Then, in spite of their need for more time, Thanksgiving Day arrived.

The apartment was spotless, the table had been set and the turkey was roasting in the oven. The admiral arrived carrying two pies and a bouquet of flowers. The wife was careful to not call the admiral Joe and went into the kitchen to work on the dinner; the two men settled into comfortable chairs in the living room. The two little kids were in a back bedroom playing.

Eventually the wife needed help and asked her husband to join her in the kitchen. After working for quite a while, the husband realized that he was away from their guest much longer than was polite. So husband and wife ran to the living room to find the older man gone.

A few seconds later, they heard giggling from the kids’ room. There they found the two children and admiral sitting together on the floor playing. The husband began to apologize and the admiral explained that they were having a great time. He would bring the kiddos in when dinner was ready. Later, the young couple would realize that most of Joe’s visit to their home that day was spent on their children’s’ bedroom floor.

Eventually the dinner was ready, the little group gathered around the table and, like most family meals, there was laughter and a few tears (when the kids got tired) and lots of fun.

As he left the apartment later that day, Joe explained that he was so very thankful to spend the day with the family as work and distance had kept him away from his grandchild, wife, daughter and son-in-law. A quick hug of the wife and a gentlemanly handshake with the husband and Joe headed home.

Why does this story bless me so much? It reminds me that the simple love of others that makes me happy.

So before you start researching recipe books, before you think about being alone or with others on Thanksgiving, before you buy the pumpkin pie, please do one thing. Would you bless someone with a simple, loving action? It can be a kind word, an invitation to coffee or a homemade pie. Just do something simple.

All of us are a little like Joe: we hunger to see the love of Christ in this complicated, chaotic, world.

Let’s make that happen for someone this week.

Love,

Jill (just one of God’s kids)

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may be innocent and pure as God’s perfect children, who live in a world of corrupt and sinful people. You must shine among them like stars lighting up the sky, as you offer them the message of life. (Philippians 2:14-16a)