Okay, so it suddenly hit my brain that next week is Thanksgiving. How did that happen? For lots of people this is a time to be with families, eat way too much food they only eat that day, watch football, play football, and just be happy. Of course, there is the occasional family conflict because after all, these are people you don't hang out with every day. But really, it's a pretty calm, predictable day with lots of nice feelings and comfort.
Then there are those for whom this day is not so great. Maybe there isn't any family. Maybe there isn't any food. Maybe there's no TV to watch football, or no yard to play football. Maybe it's a day you have to work because that's just what you need to do. Maybe it's a reminder of something tragic or a loss you have experienced. So there really isn't a lot of comfort.
Yesterday morning, I went on a field trip for our daily staff meeting. Now, I work in a church office so we often have wonderful staff meetings where we talk, laugh, pray, and come together as one group around a nice conference table in a warm and cozy office - all of our coffee mugs and water bottles spread out. We're just happy to be there for another day. Yesterday was diferent. We got on a school bus with Butch Johnson - a man who many would say should be enjoying the retired life. But instead, he is serving families in the inner city of Richmond by providing a safe place for kids to go every Friday night called the Northside Outreach Center. He has a huge vision and faith to match. We drove around to see his world - Essex Village, Battery Park just to name a couple. We stopped on a corner - the same corner where another school bus full of children was shot at just weeks ago. We saw homes that some of our staff grew up in, but those neighborhoods have changed. We viewed homes, apartments and stores known for drug deals and other activity.
And from the relative safety and warmth of that school bus, I felt such heaviness. Inside those homes are crying, hungry children. Inside those houses are broken families, people with addictions. There is great loss everywhere - loss of a parent or a brother. There are kids who don't know your parents are supposed to stay with you, love you, provide for you.
I'm not sure Thanksgiving has much meaning for many who live in these houses. It's just another day to try and survive. And as Butch Johnson and his team of volunteers plan to serve 400 or so people Saturday with a Thanksgiving meal, I realized it's really not about giving thanks for what we have...it's about GIVING because we are so thankful. Thank you, Butch, for getting the vision and giving all that you are.
