Share Your Thanksgiving the Traditional Way

Is generosity the result of affluence? I have found it to grow out of an understanding of need, especially by people who have experienced the need first-hand. We have just celebrated Thanksgiving in Canada, and the United States will celebrate on November 22. Originally, Thanksgiving was a harvest-home celebration, which accounts for it being observed at different times in different climates. I associate Thanksgiving with sharing, and in churches in Canada, this aspect is still alive. The garden produce which decorated my church on this Sunday was given away to a soup kitchen, and yesterday, my family shared in a potluck turkey dinner at another neighborhood church with whom we are associated. At this time, when so many people in this world are hungry, I would like to take a look at what makes people generous.

Who is the most generous?

On September 17, 2000, the news media reported that the poorest states in America have the highest per capita charitable donations. I am not surprised, in fact, I have known it since I was a child. I am alive thanks to the generosity of people who had barely enough food to feed their own children. During the last days of World War II, when none of us owned anything except our lives and the clothes on our backs, it was easy to find someone who would share a piece of bread, a bowl of soup, a cup of water. Thanks to other poor souls like us, my family survived those days, and I am here to tell you about it. None of us had enough food for a whole meal, but all of us would share our last bite with a hungry stranger.

Generosity in Tough Times

In the winter of 1945-46, I remember taking a trip with my father which seemed to take forever. We started out with a ride on a crowded train and followed it by a long walk through the winter snow. My 10-year-old feet had difficulty carrying me on this trek which seemed to last all day. My father knew that I needed some food to restore my energy, but we had nothing on us, nor did we have money. Even if we had money, there was no place to buy food, and every bite of food was rationed in those years. I was severely undernourished from months of deprivation, and without food, I could not go on. So at every farm we passed, we dropped in, and I was given a bite to eat and something to drink. No one turned us away. No one called us beggars. I made it to our destination.
The copyright of the article Share Your Thanksgiving the Traditional Way in Natural Health is owned by Traute Klein, biogardener. Permission to republish Share Your Thanksgiving the Traditional Way in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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