Giving as Thanks

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving."

--WT Purkiser

Daddy Ray was a good teacher when it came to the subject of giving thanks. He wasn't a religious man, but he was certainly spiritual. He was orphaned at age 10 and him and his brother Jackie were raised by a bachelor uncle. Their childhood was spent as farm hands, helping bring in the cotton, the peanuts and the sugar cane on a hardscrabble farm in the Florida panhandle. There wasn't a whole lot of time for just being kids.

At age 16 he was offered the chance to runaway and live with a Chicago family who vacationed every year in Florida. Their son was my dad's age and he took the offer to share this boys room and finish high school. So one day he snuck out to the edge of the cotton field, near the road, and buried his belongings to be dug up later that night.

The thing about coming from humble beginnings is that you have a different perspective on giving thanks. Daddy Ray wasn't one for expressing his thankfulness. His thanks were always in the form of actions. Each and every Thanksgiving there were between 2-4 sailors from Great Lakes Training Center sitting at our dinner table. This was no small feat. My dad would drive downtown to fetch the young men from the USO center, and later in the evening we'd drive them back to Great Lakes. It was a two hour drive each way!

My dad well remember what it was like to be a sailor away from home during the holidays. He served in both World War II and Korea, and his way of expressing thanks for having a home and food to eat was to share with those who were away from home for the holiday.

Leon and I have been in some sticky situations ourselves, including an unexpected job loss one Christmas. It was certain that there would be any gifts under the tree for the kids. One of Leon's co-workers sent us a Christmas card in which she wrote, "I know the situation you're in, because I've been there myself. Please accept this gift and use it as you wish. Please do not let pride prevent you from accepting my offering. Someday you will be able to return the favor and help someone else."

It was no small task for Leon to accept that gift. And we have repaid this kindness many times over. As the quote says, the act of sharing is your measure of thanksgiving.

Hope everyone had a wonderful day, shared with your family of birth or your family of choice!

Comments

[barb]

that's a great story, Aunt Ruby. ^_^

[David]

Hi Ruby:

Thanks for sharing the story about Daddy Ray. He sounds like a great human being and I am blessed this Thanksgiving to read about his gifts of love and kindness to others.

I hope that you and Leon had a great Thanksgiving. Your story about your father made mine a little better.

All the best,

David