Winter

Winter

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Just a Thanksgiving Story

This morning, as Ron and I were having coffee, for some reason, I remembered a story. I thought it was a nice Thanksgiving story. Before I started hooking rugs, I spent years at Weight Watchers. Now, I think about membership dues and I go buy wool. I got to be good friends with the leaders there. My favorite leader told this story and it reminded me of how blessed we are in the little things.


I am sorry I don't remember the exact year, but my friend Nancy, told us how her husband is a missionary who goes into places to bring short term aid and other things after disasters. Her church then sponsors people to come to the United States and here to Bakersfield. She said she was always good with languages and dialects and for some reason she could  speak a little of this woman language from South America.
They took this family into their home and it was a Mom and Dad and three children. Young children. They had lived in a village that had been destroyed and were able to save their family with nothing else.


Nancy told how when they first came into her home, the Mom and the kids had eyes as big as saucers and they just touched the furniture and the woman told Nancy that she lived in a castle. The first night, Nancy said she had made two bedrooms ready one for the children and one for the Mom and Dad. The kids, were terrified to be away from their parents and the parents had never slept on a mattress so they asked if they could all sleep in one room on the floor. She got them blankets and the family all slept together. As she told me later because her small bedroom was bigger than their whole house.


Because our food would have made them sick, she had to be very careful what she fixed. The children were hungry so as she thought that popcorn would be an easy choice. She said, she took out the bag and put it in the microwave. When it started popping the kids started screaming and ducking down and crying because they had never had popcorn, and they thought it was gunfire. She stopped the microwave and took the bag out and told the mother what it was and got the kids calmed down. She put them on the counter so they could see, but that they jumped every time the corn popped.


She poured the popped corn into a bowl and they very carefully ate it one kernel at a time. She said, she thought she fixed a few more bags of popcorn and had to explain to the Mom about microwaves.
It was almost Thanksgiving so Nancy said she had to be very careful of what she fixed. She thought turkey would be too rich so she just roasted a large chicken with lots of vegetables, even then, the family was in awe of all of the food. She said, taking them to the grocery store was an adventure too. They couldn't comprehend all of the food.


Nancy said, she had a really hard time explaining that she worked at a place teaching people how to not eat. The lady just couldn't understand how or why that could be. We laughed about it but as I was telling Ron this I thought about my table at Thanksgiving and how we will have so much food and it makes me remember the things that I know I take for granted. I kept thinking of this grand house I live in and all of the nice furniture and the heaters that comes on all by itself and keeps me warm.

I just thought I would share this as when she was telling the story I was on the edge of my chair. I went up afterwards and had her tell me more of the story. The family did go on to get a small apartment and the kids went to school and the husband got a job and they were bringing people over here and helping them to learn our culture. At Thanksgiving we celebrate a holiday, about God's provision. How if not for those early Pilgrims who God brought here and who had prepared for them Samoset and Squanto, who brought popcorn to that early feast. Who knows. There are no accidents or coincidences. Only plans.

Have a lovely day,
~Kim~

 Godliness with contentment is great gain."
(1 Timothy 6:6)

18 comments:

Mary Ann said...

Kim... this was a wonderful story and a reminder to us all. Thank you so much for telling us. I'm going to remember that family in my prayers today.

Julia said...

Ah Kim, what a lovely Thanksgiving story. It's hard to comprehend the hardship of the poor people who live in the war torn countries. You are right, we live a couchy life and have way too much stuff and food. We so often take things for granted without even being aware of how good life is for us.

I help sponsor an immigrant family from Albania and it was an eye opener for me. They were a lovely Muslim family of four. Their culture was so different and the language too. I was their driver and took them everywhere they needed to go at first until they got to know the city and the bus system.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

Hugs,
JB

TexWisGirl said...

so true - how much we take for granted in this country of choices, availability, luxury.

Susan Kane said...

This fills me with a sense of humbleness. And thankfulness for this very special lady.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful story, Kim. I will have a hard time not thinking about it next time I pop popcorn.

Kerin said...

Boy, oh boy... this story really illustrates how very blessed we are!!! We had a similar experience at our house when I was a kid.

Our daughter in law is from Brazil, and let me tell you that she grew up with a lot less than we are blessed with on a daily basis.

Thank for sharing this story, and reminding us of our blessings.

Have a wonderful, and blessed Thanksgiving.

Dog Trot Farm said...

A perfect story for Thanksgiving. I am reminded daily how blessed I am. I am thankful as well as grateful for all the blessings in my life...Eating popcorn will have a new meaning...Thank you for this post Kim...

Debbie said...

oh how true kim....love that last sentence!!

GretchenJoanna said...

That Bible verse is so full of meaning....contentment is gain because as Mary Poppins said, "Enough is as good as a feast," i.e. great wealth. Thank you for an uplifting story!

Meg said...

Oh that is a great story! We take so much for granted. I love your pictures too, they are very pretty and cheerful. :)

Nellie said...

A wonderful story that Nancy told you! We are blessed beyond measure, and we don't know it.

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

xo Nellie

Gumbo Lily said...

What a great story. We really are so blessed beyond all that we can imagine, especially when seen through less fortunate eyes. Thanks for sharing the story.

Anonymous said...

Inspiring story. Love it!!

Three Sheep Studio said...

This is a wonderful story, so appropriate for right now.
Thank you for sharing. Makes me think.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving Kim. ;)
Rose

Willow said...

Thank you for this share.
It is amazing sometimes what we take for granted, remembering to give thanks and find peace in being humble, is a blessing.
Wishing for you a beautiful and peaceful Thanksgiving.
Willow

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

Thank you for sharing this marvelous story, Kim. It is good to be reminded just how very, very blessed we are here in the USA . . . so many things we just take for granted the rest of the world does without. Wishing you and yours a truly blessed Thanksgiving Day.

Kim said...

That is a perfect story for thanksgiving. When you see people like that and how little they have, and you see storms in the Philippines and how entire villages are destroyed.
Happy Thanksgiving. And for me, I'm thankful you are my friend

Anonymous said...

LOVE the Scripture!

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(¸.•´ (¸.•` ¤ Happy Thanksgiving! ¤