Thanksgiving Blessings

Thanksgiving - a day for gathering with family and friends to celebrate the blessings of the past year. Sometimes the circumstances of life are such that it is hard to find something to be thankful for, but even in the bleakest of times, there can be surprises.
The following story was sent in by a reader and is an appropriate reminder of how good it is to stop and give thanks.

The first holiday season that I was single (pending divorce) I was alone, depressed, financially tight, living in a scary place with no electricity, limited water, large rats and a wood stove. I was working six to seven 12-hour shifts per week at the local dairy production facility. This was hard, dirty labor. The holiday season was just more time in my book of physically tiring days, purposefully planned to keep myself to busy to feel.

One evening around December 23, I returned home from work, unwedged the door (it didn't lock) and walked in, only to stare in amazement. Standing before me was a huge Christmas tree. It was a little large and not perfectly shaped. Fishing line helped it balance in the corner, but I didn't notice the imperfections until days later. I fell to my knees in tears, overwhelmed with the sensation that I was loved. Those next days until Christmas, I had only to think about the unmarked gifts waiting under that miraculous tree to know that one day things would be better.

That was December 1999, in the east Texas town of Winnsboro. Angels are everywhere, but sometimes we don't see them. My angels were hardworking small town people. They embraced the values of compassion and kindness. The gifts my anonymous angels shared with me exceeded any monetary value, I can think of.

This Thanksgiving I wanted to let all the angels who have touched my life, especially the ones from that December, know of my appreciation and gratitude. As I walk down my path of life, I try to share those acts of kindness with others. You never know when your compassionate action will create the ultimate difference for another individual.

Thank you. May your path be sheltered with serenity!
Dawn Killian

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
From the Staff at WinnsboroToday.com