Can you believe it? Thanksgiving is here later this week.
When we were Salvation Army officers, Thanksgiving Day was the one day of rest we got until Christmas Eve night. Our Christmas work had begun in September when we started registration for the Angel Tree and food boxes, then ramped up dramatically. The Christmas kettles went out Thanksgiving week. John and I were ships passing in the night at that point. The kids often helped us on our rounds. We started holiday nursing home visits. We had some we visited monthly by I had about triple for the holidays. Jason made his first nursing home visit when he was 3 weeks old. As he grew he would join Justin and our Boys and Girls Club members in caroling at the homes and handing out small gifts.
One year, snow fell on Thanksgiving Day. By nightfall we had 17 inches of snow and ice on the ground that remained until the end of March. We lived in Oklahoma and this was not normal. Once school closed for the holidays, we went out from the club in a 15-passenger van. We were finished and I loaded up the van. Every seat was filled. It was stuck. I unloaded the kids and sent them into the lobby. There was a group of men, maintenance workers, outside but not one of them helped. With my trusty supply of cardboard, I managed to push the van out by myself and loaded back up. As we made our way around the circle drive, I stopped and wished them a sweet Merry Christmas, and handed each a gift. When we made it back to the club, there were some very contrite messages waiting. We had fun, the kids - and the men - learned some valuable lessons. And I learned that THIS girl CAN!
Do you have a holiday moment to share?
When we were Salvation Army officers, Thanksgiving Day was the one day of rest we got until Christmas Eve night. Our Christmas work had begun in September when we started registration for the Angel Tree and food boxes, then ramped up dramatically. The Christmas kettles went out Thanksgiving week. John and I were ships passing in the night at that point. The kids often helped us on our rounds. We started holiday nursing home visits. We had some we visited monthly by I had about triple for the holidays. Jason made his first nursing home visit when he was 3 weeks old. As he grew he would join Justin and our Boys and Girls Club members in caroling at the homes and handing out small gifts.
One year, snow fell on Thanksgiving Day. By nightfall we had 17 inches of snow and ice on the ground that remained until the end of March. We lived in Oklahoma and this was not normal. Once school closed for the holidays, we went out from the club in a 15-passenger van. We were finished and I loaded up the van. Every seat was filled. It was stuck. I unloaded the kids and sent them into the lobby. There was a group of men, maintenance workers, outside but not one of them helped. With my trusty supply of cardboard, I managed to push the van out by myself and loaded back up. As we made our way around the circle drive, I stopped and wished them a sweet Merry Christmas, and handed each a gift. When we made it back to the club, there were some very contrite messages waiting. We had fun, the kids - and the men - learned some valuable lessons. And I learned that THIS girl CAN!
Do you have a holiday moment to share?
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