Sharing Thanksgiving

Sharing Thanksgiving

For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.

Matthew 25:35

My friend Wanda is from China, and we met when our daughters were in kindergarten together. Her daughter was learning English as a second language, and my daughter was learning Chinese as a second language. Our daughters became fast friends—chattering excitedly in a strange mix of English and Chinese, never realizing that they were doing something extraordinary in the eyes of the adults watching them.

Knowing that Wanda was in the United States alone with her daughter, I asked Aaron’s extended family if perhaps we could invite them for Thanksgiving. One thing I love about Aaron’s family is their willingness to invite others into our celebrations. Between Aaron and his sister extending invitations, you never know who you might find gathering around the extended Fisk family’s Thanksgiving table, regardless of whose house we are at that year.

The year Wanda joined us was the year I hosted—and I was left in charge of the turkey for the very first time. Until that year I hadn’t thought about how Thanksgiving in America is very traditional, but every family serves dishes that are different and delightfully unusual. Our Thanksgiving with Wanda was filled with explanations of what wild rice is, what a “hot dish” is, and why we cook turkeys only once a year. We discussed traditions, talked about foods that make our cultures unique, and giggled as we took a selfie with my first turkey—which was a little on the dry side. We weighed the pros and cons of Black Friday, football, and postdinner naps. It was a great time, and that particular Thanksgiving remains one of my favorites.

Sharing our families and lives can be as easy as inviting people into our holiday celebrations, into our family’s unique traditions, into community over a meal. There is something intimate about sharing food that just cannot be replicated in other settings. God knew this, and Scripture is replete with commands to feed strangers and invite people into our homes. It is hard not to grow close to the people we invite into our homes, who sit at our tables and pass the salt as we discuss ordinary things.

—Julie

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Invite someone new to Thanksgiving this year.