Tag Archives: thanksgiving

My Just Deserts – A Little Free Library

Westminster Church serves and delivers turkey dinners to the hungry. On Thanksgiving morning, Detroit police, mostly older and maybe even retired, load large quantities of food into the trunks of their police cruisers. Beyond the curbside cars, two lines form–one to eat and one to serve. I join the serving line and notice a hunger for reading served with two Little Free Libraries by the sidewalk. Inside the church, orange table clothes, festive center pieces and individual Thanksgiving cards drawn by children adorn tables decorated for today.

My Just Deserts

Volunteers are directed to the kitchen, meal delivery or wait staff. My son and I are assigned to packaging desserts and must wear plastic trash bag-like aprons. We stand in the doorway to the unheated dessert room and inhale the scents of the season–cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and chocolate. This room houses thousands of single-serving Styrofoam containers stacked on trays in carts towering from floor to ceiling and front to back–more Styrofoam than I’ve ever seen in one place. Our work today is the culmination of days of preparation.

Is There an APP for This?

Our first orders are for quantities of 218, 63, 42, 28, several threes and several twos. Notes taped to each cart indicate the quantity–196 on this one and 360 on another with some trays already removed or partially emptied. We multiply and find a standard thirty-six per tray. Several pre-packed boxes bare labels for fifty-four, eighteen and then varying amounts of whatever number fit into whatever random box was available. We pack eight desserts in plastic bags and combine boxes with bags to fill the orders. Who knew there would be so much math? Then, we lose track of our count and have to start over. On holiday, our brains weren’t caffeinated enough for mental work. We resort to staging our orders–gather the quantity, pack the nearest cardboard box and label before we forget. It would be terrible to short change an order and accidentally leave out dessert.

An Accidental Milkshake

During our shift, we witness many dinners served–most bundled for delivery to the homebound. We are a tiny piece of a big operation at Westminster Church of Detroit. On our way home, we pass several open restaurants before deciding to stop for a hamburger. This is the coincidence, KARMA or “one good turn deserves another” part of the story. As our order is bagged, an employee sets a milkshake next to the tray and says it was made by mistake. “Do you want it?” My son and I–who spent the entire morning surrounded by desserts–realize we forgot to order dessert. The accidental milkshake feels much bigger than an accidental dessert and more symbolic of “just deserts.” My son rolls his eyes at my speculations and changes the topic. It is all connected. We find cause in coincidence, correlation in chaos and hope in desperation. When hungry and tired, as many are, accidental is welcome, and charitable is divine.

A Writer Gives Thanks

3 Replies

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season ramping up, I’m taking a break from writing short stories this month. Instead, in honor of Thanksgiving, I’m sharing my list (in no particular order) of people and things for which I’m thankful, from my writer’s point of view:

All my teachers from grade school through college who found a way to encourage and inspire me to write. They taught me the fundamentals I use to this day.
My editor Kelly Bixby. Her passion for grammar and the written word keeps pushing me to improve my writing.
Deadwood Writers Voices as a forum for sharing my work. Having this commitment gives me a regular deadline to meet so I actually produce something.
Everyone who reads my writing on DWV as well as people who leave comments. You help me know someone is out there participating in my experience.
Grace Black and Ink In Thirds magazine for publishing one of my poems in the October 2016 issue. It’s a powerful feeling to hear the word “accepted” instead of “rejected.”
My cat Calder. He makes writing not so solitary, especially when he thinks my fingers—typing on the keyboard—are toys to bite or swat at with his paws.
The physical therapists who are getting my shoulder back into shape. Typing and using the mouse for long periods of time is still a challenge, but my stamina is increasing.
The Deadwood Writers critique group. Your support, friendship, feedback, and encouragement are invaluable.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Giving…Thanks…

3 Replies

On Thanksgiving morning, I rose early on a rainy and cold day for a 5k race. My daughter arranges the volunteering that she and I do for several years. We’ve run in road races, but during warmer seasons.

Each year, we’re assigned a spot on the running route to give our water or point runners towards a turn. It’s two hours of standing in the cold, yet the time flies. As runners pass, we shout encouragement:

“Good job!”

“Great running!”

“You’re doing great!”

“Way to go!”

“You can do it!”

Many runners pass by, without seeming to hear. But I know that they do, having been in their running shoes. When running in these events, it means a lot to me to hear people calling out encouragement. Strangers who I don’t know, and who may very well not be shouting to me—it does not matter. I am energized and appreciative. So I call out encouragement even when it seems that I’m talking to myself. I believe that the runners hunger for it. Some runners grunt acknowledgement, something that I do, and others do express gratitude.

The last third of the participants walk the course. We cheer them with just as much enthusiasm as for the frontrunners. There is no judgment or value placed on pacing. They are all outside on a cold and rainy day—participating.

This event reminds me of the value of giving thanks, not just at a race or when we gather later with our families to celebrate Thanksgiving. Showing appreciation is a simple act that represents the act of giving of ourselves to others.

December is a time of giving. Cynics would say that it’s a time of spending money and shopping for stuff. They might go further to say that December is the opposite of giving. These cynics are right. Unless…

We can choose to act with recognition of the opportunities to show appreciation through our interactions. For example, thanking a sales clerk when they complete a sale for us shows appreciation of their efforts. If you are working with a customer, saying thanks or have a great day—matters. Even knowing that such responses are most likely the result of store training, it’s still nice to hear. So lets all do our part.

Saying “thank you” is a gift of giving, as are other expressions of appreciation and encouragement. Let’s embrace this season to give thanks everyday to someone. Such practice for 31 days could engrain such actions into our normal practice that it extends into the new year. That’s a gift worth giving.