If you have made your way here via the Encouragement for Today devotion I have running at Proverbs 31, welcome! If you are a regular cyber-friend and haven’t read the devotion, catch up with us by clicking here and then clicking back over.
SIDE NOTE: Also, I can’t wait to see all you gals who will be hanging out with us at the Hearts at Home North Central conference in Minnesota this weekend! And, I’ll be Twittering throughout the conference for those of you who can’t join us. You can find me on Twitter at Karen_Ehman and my Facebook and website sidebar will show all the updates as well.
Well, let’s talk a little about reaching out at Thanksgiving. Then, I will reach out to one of you who leaves a comment with a Thanksgiving basket-in-a-box giveaway full of fun, girly and fall-ish surprises. The winner will be chosen Sunday evening at 11:00 pm EST and announced Monday morning.
But first things first…..
I don’t know about you, but my heart’s desire is that my kids will grow up knowing that Thanksgiving is more than just a day to watch football, stuff your face and tolerate all the turkeys in the extended family! 
I want them to learn to be thankful; really thankful.
So, as I wrote about in the devotion, serving at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter is a great way to show them that not everyone lives a cushy lifestyle just because they live in America. Spending even just a sliver of time at one of these agencies can help to foster thankfulness.
I would challenge you, mothers and non-mothers alike, to think outside the box and come up with a way you can help reflect the true meaning of the holiday this year at Thanksgiving. Here are a few ideas to get you going:
- Adopt a single parent from now until Christmas. Have them over. Take their kids Christmas shopping for their parent. Help them put the lights up on their house. Single parenting is hard work. Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated!
- Volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center. They may need help sorting baby clothes, buying diapers or making cookies for the clients who come in.
- Remember the veterans and their families. Contact local agencies to see what you can do to help these families who sacrifice so much for our country. Make food for the spouses left behind. Help pack care packages to send overseas. Volunteer to watch their children while the moms all go Christmas shopping.
- Pack some sack lunches and take them to the homeless you see in the inner city. One sweet bloggy friend sent in this idea. It is a GREAT tangible activity for kids.
- Inquire at your local social services agency about helping out a struggling family. You can buy them groceries for their Thanksgiving dinner, new clothes or even store gift cards. Allow your children to chip in their allowance money and help you shop and deliver the goods.
What about you? Any other ideas? Or is there one of the above ideas you’d like to try? Or perhaps there was a time when you were struggling and someone helped out you or your family? What happened? How can you teach your children to be thankful this year?
All who leave a comment on any of those topics will be entered into a drawing to win the following basket: (only it will be in a box. The basket is sorta hard to mail!)
It includes:
- A clear votive candle holder
- Four Sonoma pear-scented votive candles
- A 12 ounce package of Pumpkin Pie coffee
- A cute decorative pumpkin that says “Give Thanks”
- A bag of Harvest Dried Fruits (cherries, blueberries, strawberries and apricots) covered in white, milk and dark chocolates– Yum!!!!!
- Some Yuletide Pear Vanilla anti-bacterial hand soap from Bath and Body Works (a early Christmas item to use during the season)
- A set of three avocado green and creme dish towels (to remind you to be thankful for dirty dishes; they mean your family has food to eat)
Comments please…..and thank you.
Grateful Blessings,
Thanks, Karen, for your devotion about serving others this Thanksgiving and year round! As a teenager my family served at homeless shelters on Thanksgiving and it was such a wonderful experience. It always made us so thankful for the many ways God provided for us! Now with 4 kids of my own, we look for ways to serve others as a family – and I was looking for something over the holidays. Thanks for your reminder – I’ll be looking up a homeless shelter that serves on Thanksgiving!
Thanks for your devo and your post today. I serve at MOPS at my church and today we talked a lot about thankfulness, contentment, and perspective….so your devo fit right in with the “theme” of my day!
I’d like to post about something extraordinary that someone did to help our family: My husband and I are US based missionaries and we raise financial support for our living. We also send out regular prayer letters to those on our support team. One spring in our ministry, we had to put two new engines in our car – a big hit to our already tight budget. In our prayer letter we mentioned this to our team and asked them to pray for our wisdom in what to do about this obviously dying car. Out of the blue one of our supporters called and told us that they wanted to buy us a BRAND NEW car – like, straight off the lot! It was something we could never afford, never reciprocate, and never imagine. (kinda like salvation, huh?) Anyways, their generosity and willingness to help our family in tough times just blew us away and we are so grateful.
This year for the holidays, we plan to do something to help our boys learn more about thankfulness and giving. Last year we bought presents for a single mom and her daughter…this year, we are praying and watching for the opportunity that God directs us to. The ideas in your post have sparked the creative “thankful” juices already! Thanks!
Thanks for the giveaway and great reminders about helping others.
I followed the link to your blog from today’s Proverbs 31 devotional. Thank you very much for sharing your story and for the inspiration to step out and DO something to “bless so-and-so” rather than just saying “God bless so-and-so.”
Here’s an idea that came from a friend of mine who has worked for many years with homeless people. I asked him about giving money to the many beggars we see on our streets. His advice was not to give them money. I told him I understood that this may not be wise, but that I feel compelled to give them something in some way. He suggested buying gift cards to such places as McDonald’s (or any other inexpensive food place that might be within walking distance of the location at which they ask for money). He said that, if they are indeed hungry, I will be giving them the chance to eat something they order themselves, thereby giving them both food and a chance for a bit of dignity. If they are not actually hungry, they can pass the gift cards along to someone else.
Thanks again Karen for your encouraging words. It’s been on my mine and heart lately to think of a way to do for someone during the holidays. I’m very grateful for all God has blessed me and my family with and want to share in some way. You gave some good ideas. I love to bake and will probably do some basket of goodies to share with others, and include a card with a wal-mart gift card. Another thing we have done is to pay someones utility bill so they can have extra during the holidays.
We always did the traditional turkey Thanksgiving. Two years ago my sister-in-law suffered a stroke. You quickly find out that just about nobody has a wheelchair accessible home. Last year we went out for Thanksgiving; just a family restaurant with a huge menu. The revelation was that my sister-in-law ordered steak burritos, an item she loved, used to make at home and might never make again. She enjoyed the meal so much! The traditional meal can blindside you and make you think that is the most important thing. Wrong. Here’s to doing whatever fits your family and brings joy to them.
Thanks Karen for your encouraging words. I liked the idea of baking cookies for the pregnancy resourse center. I had never thought of doing that.
Blessings to you.
For years, we struggled with money. It was important to us that I stay home, as the costs of sending kids to day care (not to mention the loss of having our children with us) was too high. I learned to be frugal, but it was always a struggle during the holidays.
One Thanksgiving, we were surprised with what was called a “Thanksgiving Basket”. I had no idea it was coming until I opened the door. Basket was a loose term. It was a box that must have been 3 feet tall, and fairly good sized around. In the basket were an assortment of traditional Thanksgiving foods, as well as every day foods like cereal, cans of soup, and more. On top of that, included was a gift certficate to the local grocery store, good for $20 worth of meat.
It was truly a wonderful moment for us. Since then, we’ve gotten past the point of needing help. The first year when we didn’t need help at Christmas, I adopted a family. Actually, I adopted 2 families, but 1 more so than the other, as they were less in need.
I connected with the mother of the family through emails, and while we knew each other’s first names, we did not know each other before connecting for the project. She had just left an abusive relationship with her two young daughters, and little else.
On the day when we met up, we both drove about 40 minutes to meet in the middle, and to my shock and joy, it turned out that I did indeed know the woman. She had been my step-cousin for a short time when my mom was married to her uncle. We hadn’t seen each other in years, as we had both relocated.
I felt so light hearted knowing that we had helped her, and keeping in contact with her. Several months later, I was able to bless her family once more by buying them groceries.
It really is both humbling, and heart lightening to focus less on what we want, and more on what others need.
I am thankful for our support team. We could not be in full time ministry without them. God meets our needs in so many fun and different ways.
2 things that personally stand out as gifts from God are the following:
- when my kids were little, I was feeling frazzled and not great about myself. A friend gave me a certificate to go to a spa and get a facial and a manicure. It was so refreshing to get alittle time away and to be pampered!
-a friend provided a weekend getaway and then gave me cash with the condition to spend it on me. It was so fun to get the things I needed and a few clothes that I wanted.
I would like to think that I help those in need. That I act on those impulses from the Holy Spirit. One such impulse has been to write a letter to a parent of a highschool classmate (she died when we were in highschool) just to let them know she has not been forgotten by others. My 20th highschool reunion is fast aproaching and I have been remembering all the good and bad of those years, and though this girl and I were not close, it was a tragic event in my life at the time. Now that I have children of my own I can not fathom the grief one feels in losing a child. I think each of us has special talents for blessing others and we need to be open (listening) to the Holy Spirit for those opertunities.
Thanks so much for the inspiring words on the Proverbs 31 site. I have recently made a lot of wonderful changes in my life, mostly by staying out of God’s way & letting Him guide me. I feel so grateful this holiday season; I am living in a transitional home for women in recovery, & although I am not working yet & it might not appear to an outsider that I have a lot to give, I know today that I do. I may not be able to contribute money, but I know my time & compassion can always help someone who has less than me. Thank you for helping me decide to reach out in my fellowship & community; I am going to commit to finding out how I can bless someone this season, as God has blessed me w/ all the wonderful people He has put in my life—you & your website are one…thanks again!
Karen – You have some great ideas! I believe in helping others. I plan to ask my boys what they would like to do for a family for Thanksgiving and Christmas in our community. I might talk with the school and see if they can give us a name of a family.
I was a single mom for 3 years and I have total respect for single parents.
Thanks!
Karen…I saw you at Hearts yesterday and turned 40 today…I think I’m finally prepared to face the music. Thank you for your inspiration and encouragement. God is using your year of hardship to bless alot of people. Oh, his mysterious ways.
God Bless You, Ann
Karen,
Thank you for the thought-provoking post. It would be amazing if my family could serve in some capacity this holiday season. It will take some motivation to get my adult sons to participate, though the thought of us working together warms my heart.
It has been a difficult year with my husband being laid-off for many months, though he is working again, praise God! I have dealt with huge health issues (breast cancer) and I am beginning to regain my strength and stamina (praise God again!)
I am very interested in your book “A Life that Says Welcome” and the idea to make others feel refreshed rather than impressed, and to help me feel prepared when unexpected guests drop in. I’ve added it to my “wish list” of P31 books!
Have a blessed holiday!
I should have read the devotion for November 6 as soon as I received, I would have been more sensitive to what happened that day. I was standing outside Marks and Spencer with my shopping trolley waiting for a taxi. A poor lady with a baby came and was begging and I offered her my food and she said no that she wanted the towels in my trolley to keep her baby warm and I said I couldn’t give them to her and she replied that I didn’t even want to help her. Now that I read the devotion, I am even overridden with more guilt and wish I had given her the towels. We should learn to help out whenever and however we can. I could have easily walked in and bought more towels.
My suggestion is that whatever ever old warm clothing we have, we should give it to those on the streets that have no shelter to keep warm during this season.