Thanksgiving for One
If you could only be thankful for one person this Thanksgiving, who would it be? Just this one person, for just this one year, for whatever reason.
For me, it would be my sister, Gayle. Eleven years older, she has been like another mother to me. I have only one picture of my mom holding ‘baby me’ . . . but I have a lot of pictures of me in my sister’s arms. She’s always been there for me; there for my graduations, my wedding, the birth of my children. Years later, she was there for my kids’ graduations, their weddings and the birth of their children. My kids have received individualized Christmas ornaments from “Aunt Gayle” every year of their lives. Forty years. Who loves that consistently any more? For almost 15 years, my sister and I were partners in caring for our aging parents and close relatives . . . in loving them well and ‘walking them home.’ It took a lot of mutual sacrifice but we did it, and did it well. We’re proud of how we worked together . . . how we honored them to the very end.
Her love hasn’t been just for me; not even just family. John, a young African-American man lives and breathes today because of my sister. When his terrified, unwed teenage mother planned to abort him, my sister found someone to take him. Twenty-two years later, my sister was the only white person at John’s wedding. Then there’s Pauline, a struggling young medical technician who couldn’t support her family or afford health insurance on her minimum wage job. My sister casts a vision for a better life and helps fund additional training so Pauline can get a better job . . . one that pays more and provides health insurance. Since my sister’s cancer advanced several months ago, there’s been a never-ending stream of meals and flowers and desserts, visits and stories from people she’s invested in and ‘loved on’ over the years.
At 78, she’s valiantly fighting the cancer. On Sunday, my entire family will gather with her, her husband Joe, and her son Brent. We will thank God for the blessing of the years we’ve had together and ask for His mercy and grace as we face the tough days ahead. We will thank God that my sister knows Jesus and that she will spend eternity with Him in Heaven. When the time comes, we won’t say goodbye, we’ll say ‘see you later.’
So here’s a question. Who is that one person for you this year? Right now? Who is the individual you really want to thank for showing up for you, for your marriage, for your kids, for your family? Who is the person that a year from now, if they’re taken without warning, you’ll be kicking yourself for not taking the time to say ‘thank you’ to? Before this day is out, pick up your phone and call them. Say ‘thank you’ while you still can. You’ll never regret making that call.
Scripture: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (1 Chronicles 16:34)
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