Thanksgiving opportunity to help someone

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for November 26, 2025)

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have many reasons to celebrate Gratitude Day 2025.

Not every Thanksgiving Day has been good for me. Yet, even then, something always made me thankful- at least later.

Ten years ago, just days before Thanksgiving, my older daughter was killed in a wreck. As devastating as this was, the outpouring of love I received was stunning. It took a while to register- it's hard to notice while you're numb- but I still associate kindness with the memory of that dark time. I can't think of Thanksgiving without feeling a deep sense of loss, but I also remember those who lifted me up during those painful days, and I will forever be grateful.

Some years earlier I was alone and feeling abandoned as Thanksgiving approached. I could see myself sinking into self-pity unless I did something different. So I invited a couple of acquaintances, who were unable to spend the holiday with their own families, to eat spaghetti with me. What could have been a day spent feeling depressed and miserable turned into an enjoyable celebration- one I will always remember with fondness. The memory still makes me smile.

A couple of years after this I was in a similar, but worse, situation, and had allowed myself to fall into despair. It was awful. I was struggling to keep going through the motions. I hadn't told anyone about my circumstances, but on Thanksgiving Day there was a knock on my door and I found a plate heaped with a Thanksgiving meal. I never found out who brought it. Someone must have known, or guessed, what I was going through. I can't put into words what this act of thoughtfulness meant to me that day. I was so overwhelmed I cried. Even now my eyes get a little misty whenever I remember.

Some of you are grieving a death or another loss of some kind. Some are facing hard financial times. Other circumstances may be rough. If so, I hope someone knows what you're going through and does something to make your Thanksgiving Day a little brighter.

I hope you are doing great, though. If you know of someone who needs an invitation or a plate of food, step up. Don't wait for someone else to do the right thing. It's your responsibility, even if no one has pointed this out to you. You'll be grateful you did.

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