dvi silkes

It’s Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, and I can truly say that we have a tremendous lot to be thankful for. Often, we are surrounded by such an abundance of love, goodness, and ‘stuff,’ that we can’t help but be thankful. Sometimes we choose to express thankfulness for the less comfortable aspects of life, knowing that even through painful experiences, our lives are enriched.

And then, every once in a while, something completely unexpected happens that makes us thankful in a way that can only be expressed by heartily laughing out loud! That was today.

This evening, we had a chance to meet up with my parents as they were driving home from an overnight trip to beautiful Lake Louise. While we had planned on going to a particular coffee shop for lattes, it turned out the store had closed early for the weekend break. Instead, we went to one of the other ubiquitous coffee shops in the area, and settled down with pumpkin spice lattes (yum!). We had a good chat, but Mom and Dad still had to drive a ways to get home, so we licked the foam out of our cups and started to pack things up.

Just as we were getting ready to go, one of the employees came over to our table. I thought, actually, that she was going to say that they were closing. Instead, she said that they were about to throw out a bunch of their food, and if we would like to take any of it home, we should just let her know what we would like…for free! It took a few minutes for that to sink in, but once we realized what she was offering, we jumped from our seats! At the counter, she had already laid out trays of baking, and as we approached the counter she handed us the tongs and said, “help yourself!” At first, we were ever-so-polite, gratefully plopping a few muffins in our bag, then offering to let the other employees take the rest. But she just kept telling us to take more; they had already taken everything they wanted, and were really going to throw out all that was left. At last, we ended up taking everything!

As we piled into the car with three full bags of snacks, we couldn’t stop laughing - a laughter of thankfulness! In fact, I didn’t have anything for Nathan’s lunch tomorrow, but now we have enough goodies for weeks! Here’s what we hauled home tonight from the coffee shop:
- 9 assorted muffins               - 3 turnovers
- 6 fruit and granola bars        - 3 bagels
- 4 cheese buns                      - 7 scones
- 3 cinnamon buns

Thanks, God! We have been hugely blessed, and we are joyfully thankful!

Every chair in the room was filled, and more people were inching their way through the doorway. On Thursday’s food distribution at the Salvation Army, we handed out bags of food to a record 86 registered clients, many of whom were visiting for the first time. The total number of people the food will help is a staggering 217.

Though a small amount of food is donated each Thursday from local shops, the few wizened vegetables and at-expiry-date goods we receive are never enough to meet the need. This week, however, we were very grateful to have a freshly stocked pantry of dry goods to supplement the donation from the shops.

Earlier this week, three of us went on a fantastically huge shopping trip to the largest grocery store in town, and piled six carts to overflowing with food. From staples like rice, buckwheat, sugar, and oil, to goodies like tea, coffee, and cookies, we managed to buy enough food to keep the pantry going a little while longer. Also, a donation from family enabled us to buy enough milk and butter to give everyone one of each over the past two weeks.

We are extremely grateful for donations from our Canadian church, family, friends, and even strangers that helped make this possible! The need here is great, but your generosity, kindness, and your prayers are making a difference in people’s lives. Thank you!

It’s no surprise that I am very fond of order. While being married to someone who manages to locate his socks whether they are lined up in a row or tossed in a drawer has considerably lessened my organizational cravings, “a place for everything and everything in its place” still fits me well.

Perhaps then, it is a bit incongruous that Christmas is my favourite time of year. After all, the mayhem of Christmas shopping, the dozens of last-minute gatherings and details that inevitably arise, and the absolute impossibility of fitting everything into a tidy schedule all create an avalanche that obliterates my attempts at maintaining calm order. Still, the wonder of Christmas, the smells, traditions, music, and of course, the story of a baby born in Bethlehem, all have very special meanings to me. And so, once a year, I take a step outside the cozy room of predictability, and jump onboard the hayride of Christmas (especially if there will be hot chocolate at the end!).

Here are a few highlights from this year’s busy (but fantastic) ride…

Snow – and lots of it!

Our little tree

Meals for the homeless on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at the Salvation Army. Also went to a local shelter to share a meal and fellowship with some men who live there.

Helping to sort food and raise funds to help the poor through the Salvation Army Food Bank.

Serving a meal to a group of homeless people who came to our church unexpectedly (fantastic!).

Dinner with friends on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, too (we were spoiled).

Opening gifts mailed by our crazy families and friends!

…which meant that our Christmas hayride really did end with hot chocolate ☺

So, the season may not have been particularly tidy, or tucked neatly into manageable time slots, but that’s OK. After all, the reason for Christmas didn’t come delivered on a convenient schedule and wrapped up in a perfectly tied bow. With straw for a bed and twinkling stars for nightlights, perhaps a little bit of mess at Christmas is just a good reminder of how it all began.