Our family went on vacation many years ago, and while we were there, we ended up adopting some grandparents. Let me set the stage for you…
Hilton Head Island is like a second home to us. We’ve spent our family vacations there for more than 27 years, with many of those times during the week of Thanksgiving.
On this particular occasion, we had gone out to eat for lunch on Thanksgiving Day. Our sons, daughters-in-law and friends gathered around a large table with us that day as we enjoyed plates heaped high with turkey, cranberry sauce and all the trimmings.
In the midst of all the conversations and laughter, I noticed an older couple seated several tables away from us. They were adorable, she with her soft white curls and sweet smile, and he with an old-school charm as he spoke to her. I noticed they were holding hands across the table. I mentioned them to my family, and we talked about how cute they were.
But what bothered me was that they were alone. On Thanksgiving.
They finished their meal long before we did, and as they got up to leave the restaurant, they unexpectedly stopped at our table. “Excuse us for disturbing you,” she said, “but my husband and I were sitting over there watching you while we ate, and we were admiring your beautiful family.”
I told her we’d been watching them as well, talking about how cute they were together. I said, “Would you like to sit down and join us while we finish our meal?”
We pulled some chairs up to the table, and they told us that they had lived on the island for many years and that their son was too far away to travel in for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. We enjoyed their company so much that we stood outside talking for a while after lunch. And then they invited us to their home that evening for ice cream.
We had a great time listening to their stories about their trips to exotic locations and were fascinated as he told about his work on the Manhattan Project many years before. As we hugged them good-bye that evening I said, “You’re welcome to join us for meals whenever we’re here–and especially at Thanksgiving.”
And they did. We had many wonderful meals together through the years, and until his health declined too much to eat with us, they were never by themselves again on Thanksgiving.
Will someone you know be alone at Thanksgiving (or Christmas) this year? Why not invite them to join your family? You might start out planning to be a blessing to them, but I think you’ll discover what we did–you’ll be the ones who will really be blessed.
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2)
