Thanksgiving and Community: Who Will You Invite to Your Table

Oldie but Goodie Repost

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God.” 1 John 4:7

I used to dread the holidays. Sometimes I still do. I grew up in a NY Italian family that celebrated every holiday together. Then I got married and moved away and holidays weren’t something I looked forward to anymore.

At first it was me and hubby. I tried doing the festive thing for Thanksgiving and Christmas and kept some of the traditions and even dressed up at times. Then kids came a long and I bought those cute suits for the kids, several years in a row, but realized we’d always be dressed up with no place to go.

Some years we went to see family, but when the kids got older and our family grew it was much easier to stay home. Soon the holidays came and went, and we barely made it out of our pajamas. Often it became just another day and each year I’d grieve inside. I’d grieve not having family around, but most of all I grieved the fact that even though I belonged to a church and a Christian community, no one, I mean no one except for two Easters, invited us over for the holidays and many knew we had no family in town.

Many years we invited others over (one year we had a dozen college students) and those were the best times, but deep inside I still grieved the lack of community, of true family and fellowship. The last couple of years since my family moved to town we’ve had small intimate holidays with friends joining us as well. But sometimes it’s just our immediate family.

With each passing year, I welcome Thanksgivings with no place to go, though I am mindful of others who might wish to share the holiday with someone, and I’m always actively seeking those people who felt like we did those many years when no one invited us to their home for the holidays.

So as Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, I want to encourage you not to get so caught up in the season that you forget the real meaning of the holiday. The Pilgrims and Indians shared their feast with one another, Jesus broke bread with his disciples and dined with sinners. There are others out there who would love to join you at your table.

Take a  look around. Who can you invite to your this holiday?