A Thanksgiving story

On Thanksgiving morning many years ago, I was a young teenager riding my bicycle through Perry’s streets. Traveling down the road that leaves downtown and heads towards Hawkinsville, I noticed a middle-aged man hitchhiking. He was shabbily dressed, had a thick beard, and appeared to be a vagrant passing through town. I felt sorry for the man and stopped to talk with him.  

He told me he was down on his luck and had hitchhiked all the way from Tennessee. He was heading to his sister’s home in Florida where he hoped to find work. Since I knew mother was preparing a scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner, I asked him if he wanted something to eat, to which he replied affirmatively. 

I raced home and asked mother if she would put together some turkey, dressing, vegetables, dessert and tea for me to carry to the man. Mother obliged and I carried the food back to the man, waiting for me at roadside.  

He took the food and sat down on the curbing to eat. He removed his hat and asked me if I would say the blessing. I said a short one to which he responded “Amen.” I sat there and watched him eat. He obviously hadn’t eaten well in several days as he literally devoured the food.  

When he finished and handed me the picnic basket to take back home, he said something that I will never forget. 

He remarked, “Young man, I once was married and had a family.  We looked forward to spending Thanksgiving together. I had a successful job and was doing well, but something happened in my life. My wife started running around with another man behind my back and took the kids away from me. I started to hit the bottle and before too long, I had lost my job. I have been in jail several times, and my life has gone to pot. Although my wife left me, I should have pulled my life together and begun counting my blessings instead of my troubles. I am going to my sister’s to stay with her for a while, and I hope I can get back on my feet.”  

As he walked away to resume hitchhiking, he turned and said with a pointed finger, “Don’t let this happen to you. Stay positive about life and don’t let bad turns in the road get you down.” I rode away on my bike. He waved goodbye and I reciprocated. 

Indeed, we should count our blessings and not our problems… our gains and not our losses… our joys instead of our woes… our friends instead of our foes… our smiles and not our tears… our courage and not our fears… our full years and not our lean years… our kind deeds and not our misdeeds… our health and not our wealth. And finally, count on God instead of ourselves.

I close with the familiar verses of the100^th Psalm, which is so fitting for the Thanksgiving season: “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”