Thanks-GIVING
Apparently, the shelf life for gratitude is approximately 24 hours. On Thursday Americans will celebrate one of my favorite holidays - Thanksgiving. What could be better than an entire day set aside to remember all of your blessings & spend time with family and friends?
My inbox has been filled this week with so many emails from stores letting me know about their amazing sales and pre-dawn opening times for Black Friday. Now we can reward our grateful attitudes on Thursday with some indulged shopping on Friday.
I know, I know. Stores slash prices making it the ideal time to make large purchases you needed anyway. I am a girl on a budget and I totally get that. However, the idea of following up a day of giving thanks for what we have with a day of acquiring new things seems to miss the mark.
This morning I was looking at the word Thanksgiving and thought how profound it is that "thankfulness" and "giving" are matched on this holiday. Yea, sure. It's a day that we give thanks. But what if the connection is more than that?
Maybe to really experience thankfulness we have to be willing to give. The act of giving requires a belief that you already have what you need. Generosity is an external act of an internal attitude. I may not have everything, but I have enough. That is what giving says.
In honor of Thanksgiving, I propose that we each celebrate by being thankful AND giving.
Black Friday is coming with it's swarms of deals and hoards of crowds. Last year Americans spent $11,400,000,000 on Black Friday. That averages out to $423 per person who went shopping that weekend.
This year I would like to suggest that instead of spending tons of money on ourselves we GIVE to others in order to meet some of their needs.
In honor of Thanks-GIVING I am going to donate before I buy. Join me in winning back Thanksgiving? ---> click to tweet
This Friday I am going to go online and donate before I shop for anything. The world is full of people who are trying to make ends meet. Investing in a cause bigger than myself is the best way to kick off the holiday season in my opinion.
Grab that new pair of boots you have had your eye on, but give away a pair of shoes you already have in your closet to a shelter. Stock up on Christmas gifts for your grandkids, but purchase a gift card for a mom who needs assistance getting gifts for her kids. There are so many ways to help.
Will you join me?
I have listed out a couple great causes that I can personally vouch for as being good candidates for donations:
UnBound - I work with this group to end human trafficking by educating and empowering local communities to combat slavery in their city. We are volunteer run & all your donations go directly to our anti-trafficking efforts.
Many Hopes - My friend Haley is working with Many Hopes to help raise $10,000 towards building homes for boys living in poverty in Kenya. It is a great project and a huge need. Support Africa & Support Haley this Thanksgiving!
Beth Stedman - Many of you may remember when Beth wrote a post for me earlier this fall. Beth's husband is battling stage 4 melanoma. They have two children, one with severe special needs, and I am sure that they could use a little generosity this holiday season. --- she has no idea I am doing this. At the end of each of her posts there is a link to donate via paypal. The link says " If you like this post please consider buying me a cup of tea". Click on that and you can give a donation in any amount to her securely on PayPal.
I think we can work together to make a big difference in the lives of others this Thanksgiving holiday, but I need your help!
1. Share about Thanks-GIVING with others through social media or word of mouth!
2. Tell us about other groups/causes worth giving to in the comments section!
Happy Thanks-GIVING everybody!!!
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