Life Lessons – There Is ALWAYS Something To Be Thankful For

There is a lady I work with and for some reason she has this need to make things more complicated than they need to be. She looks down on others, and she especially likes to pick on yours truly! It has gotten so bad that I have had to get upper management involved. I really don’t like to do that, but my kindness has been taken advantage of far too many times, so I am prepared with my spreadsheets of data, I make copies of everything I do, and I save every email, and she really doesn’t like it because my butt is always covered when she tries to throw me under the bus. I am willing to own up to my mistakes when I do make them, why can’t she do the same? Anyway, the vice president pulled me aside and told me that this particular woman had a very hard past, and me response to her was “And?”

I know that may seem a little harsh, and I’m sorry, I really am sorry that she had a difficult past, but the truth is we all struggle. My dad was literally beaten with a switch until the blood ran into his shoes, his sister took his sled and chopped it up for firewood, he had to go to school barefoot sometimes because his mom couldn’t afford to buy him shoes, I could go on and on, but you know what, my dad is one of the nicest, gentle, and caring men I know, and I am blessed beyond measure that I get to call him daddy. My point here is that just because someone was mean to you is not an excuse for you to be mean to others!

Yesterday, an elderly man came into the office and he asked me if I knew where he could go on Thanksgiving to get a nice meal because he’s homeless, broke, and has no family. My heart instantly shattered for this man, so I took down his information, pulled my resources together, and was able to find him a free but good Thanksgiving dinner. I get so discouraged sometimes because it seems like life wants to continue to beat me down, but at that moment I realized how much I really do have to be grateful for! I’m glad I live in a community that comes together and helps people who struggle. My heart goes out to anyone that can’t be with the people they love during the holidays.

My ex-con client that I wrote about a week ago or so came in yesterday for no other reason than to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving. I asked him if he had a place to go tomorrow, and before he informed me that he does indeed have somewhere to go, he got misty eyed and thanked me for caring enough to make sure he had someone to spend Thanksgiving with. Honestly, if he hadn’t, I would have invited him to our home.  I also realized just how blessed I am because I know without a shadow of a doubt that if I didn’t have my dad or Neil, there are still many people who love me that would open their homes to me on Thanksgiving and make me feel like a part of their family. It breaks my heart that there are people out there who don’t have that. And I’m also grateful because I have never known what it’s like to not have people in my life who care. This poor man was so thankful that I cared enough to make sure he had somewhere to go on a holiday. It’s something so simple to me, but to him, it meant the world!

I have invited a colleague who informed me that he wasn’t sure what he was doing for Thanksgiving either. I can’t in good conscious sit at my dinner table and eat my good Thanksgiving dinner knowing that my colleague is at home by himself eating a microwaved dinner.

I don’t know where you are at this stage in your life, but I want you to know that you do have things in your life to be thankful for, your struggles are happening to shape you into the person you are meant to be, and I don’t know why bad things happen to good people, it’s a question I will ask God when I get to Heaven, but all I know is that we need to be kind to one another. If you have nowhere to go for Thanksgiving, please let me know. If I can I’ll make room for you at my table, and if I can’t, I will not stop until I find a place for you to go! Even if you don’t live near me, because I work at a non-profit I have connections to other non-profits, and I will go to bat for you. Please swallow your pride and let me know, I’m happy to help, and I won’t judge you, it doesn’t matter to me what crimes you may have committed,the people you’ve wronged, etc… what matters to me is the person you are, and as long as you’re not abusing others, and you’re a kind and decent human being, you deserve to be surrounded by love and kindness, especially during the holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Love & life lessons,

Kristian