Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is almost here. Tomorrow I'll be traveling 6 hours to Massachusetts to have Thanksgiving with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. On Thursday we will prepare our Thanksgiving feast (and for 20 people we're going to have a lot of food) and eat until we can't hold anymore.

And in another month it will be Christmas. I'll start my Christmas shopping and be thinking about the things I want the most. We'll have more good food and see more family and drink hot chocolate as we watch the snow fall.

But in many other countries, none of this will happen. The people there may never know what it is like to eat a good meal and feel completely full. The people there may have little or nothing is their houses. The people there may be cold and have no shelter. And yet they smile. Though they have nothing, they are happy. Though they are hungry, they are content. How can we, who have anything and everything we could desire, still be unhappy?

My youth leader was talking about this on Sunday. Thinking about all those people in need makes the holidays a little less joyful. It makes me feel guilty. I have so much and I'm about to get more and yet they have nothing. But they have genuine happiness. Maybe they have the better end of the deal.