Thanksgiving is a time to count our blessings and have an attitude of gratitude.  If you are fortunate enough to have your family, your health, a roof over your head and food to eat, you are truly blessed.  But, are you grateful?

Instead of wishing for all the things you want and don’t have, try thinking about all the people who would do anything to be in your shoes.  Some of them, literally.  In fact, maybe you should go through your closet and gather up all the shoes you don’t wear and bring them to Goodwill so someone much less fortunate than you can make good use of them.

I’ve found that the best way to stop feeling sorry for yourself is to help someone else.  You can sit there and have a grand old pity party that no one wants to attend, or you can get up, get moving, and get out of your own way.  In case you’re not sure how to go about this, I have two suggestions that will not only make you feel better, but will actually improve the life of another human being.  Are you up for the challenge?  Well, check this out then.

1.  If can’t be with any friends or family on Thanksgiving Day (or you can be with them but don’t want to), make yourself useful by heading over to Fulford United Methodist Church, 1900 NE 164 Street, North Miami Beach, Florida 33162, and lend a hand at its Annual Thanksgiving Day Community Meal.  Message from Fulford:

Come join us on November 28, 2013 from 11am to 3pm and celebrate Thanksgiving.

Fulford’s Annual Thanksgiving Day Meal Ministry is just around the corner. We have started making plans to feed 600 people on Thanksgiving Day. It will take help of the whole congregation to pull off this huge undertaking and lots of prayers. We want to remind you that stores will be having sales in the upcoming weeks. We are accepting donations of frozen turkeys at any time.

As we get closer to Thanksgiving we will be asking for volunteers to cook turkeys along with their broth for making gravy and soup. We also accept donations towards purchasing turkeys and other items needed to make this Meal Ministry a success.

Make checks payable to Fulford UMC with “Thanksgiving Meal” on the memo line . If you have any time during the week of Thanksgiving or on Thanksgiving Day, we can use your help. Your help will be needed to help cook, set up, decorate, serve, and clean up

If you want to help, contact FulfordUMC@bellsouth.net or call the office 305-945-6093

The Outreach Committee would like to thank the Fulford Congregation for always coming through for us during the holiday and we praise the Lord for all of our blessings and help!

2.  If you already have plans for the holiday but still want to help, the employees of the City of North Miami Beach are raising money to furnish Thanksgiving baskets to needy families in the community.  You can help by donating in person at the NMB Police Department’s reception window.  Donations of any amount are welcome.  Please make checks payable to the “City of North Miami Beach” and writing “Thanksgiving Basket” on the memo line.  Cash donations are also accepted.  The Finance Director will collect the donations and keep track of the funds for this effort.

If you are so inclined, you can follow both suggestions and feel twice as good!

The holidays can be a tough time for many people, especially those who are alone.  If you are fortunate to have friends and family to celebrate with, BE GRATEFUL … and then consider donating to the Thanksgiving basket drive.   If not, you can still be a part of the North Miami Beach family by helping out at Fulford United Methodist Church, where you can be a part of something much, much bigger than yourself.  Trust me, the grateful smiles of the folks you help will bring joy to your heart and make you feel like a million bucks!

Now that you know how to count your blessings and be grateful, you have no more excuses.  Get out there and do it already!

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”