Gratitude is a gift we can give to ourselves
When the food is on the table, it’s no time to wax philosophical. Folks have been waiting for this moment, so we suggest those responsible for giving thanks on Thanksgiving not make a production of it.
But as the stuffing and beans and potatoes and turkey are being passed around, look at each passing dish as an opportunity to be grateful. We have far more than just an abundance of wonderful food for which to give thanks.
Be grateful for the men and women who have nearly contained the fires burning across California for the past month, and bless the rain that will help them further.
Be thankful for those who are spending this day serving others. We’re thinking of Dan and Denise Costa, who for 30 years have hosted the Thanks-for-Giving dinner for those in need. Each year, two days of preparation culminate in a sit-down dinner for 1,000 people at Modesto Centre Plaza. As he works, Costa will tell you he’s grateful for those who do similar work each and every day to make the lives of the destitute more tolerable.
Most of all, be grateful for the opportunity to give thanks. There’s nothing more important or powerful than gratitude. There is both joy and humility to recognizing how much we’ve been given and to be grateful for it. Gratitude opens our eyes to see how much we can give to others.
If you assumed the “bite” was coming on this Thanksgiving Day, you were right.
For 27 years, The Bee has raised money for good causes. For the past few years, we’ve partnered with Stanislaus Community Foundation to identify those most in need and help manage the donations.
This year, we’re focusing on seven organizations – Haven Women’s Center, Cambridge Academies, Stanislaus Family Promise, Salvation Army, Turlock Gospel Mission, Children’s Crisis Center and Modesto Gospel Mission. You can join dozens of your neighbors in making a difference. The need is great.
Obviously, there are other ways to show gratitude. As any fund-raising professional will tell you, money is always needed and appreciated. In fact, so many blankets, clothing and other donations were made to fire victims after Paradise was destroyed, that those receiving them have asked people to stop. Cash or gift cards will do far more to help re-establish people in housing, care for displaced animals, or pay for gas as folks move from place to place.
Groups as varied as Verizon ($250,000), the Cal Water ($25,000), the band Metallica ($50,000) and Sierra Nevada Brewing ($100,000) have set up special funds to help. Many have matching opportunities.
For many of us, time is more valuable than money. Consider the organizational effort, labor and time commitments made by people like the Barbers – Katie and Jake. They helped create a kids’ splash pad in Graceada Park last year and most recently were spotted working with the College Area Neighborhood Alliance to spruce up Enslen Park.
Or Emmanuel Escamilla, who this month completed a 3,260-mile cross-country trip by bicycle to raise money for the CodeX program he started in south Modesto.
Or the artists who made Modesto a little more special by creating downtown murals earlier this year.
Or the organizations bringing food, clothing and even showers to the homeless encampment at Beard Brook Park.
We can go on, but you get the point. Whatever we have, we appreciate it more when we share it.
For those of us who have a Thanksgiving table around which to gather, it’s good to keep in mind all we have been given. That includes the opportunity to share.
