Thanksgiving

In every thing give thanks:
for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you. 
1 Thessalonians 5:18

I have been reminded by the Lord Himself to be thankful for all things...

Being that today is the Thanksgiving holiday, my friends and I had our own special meal. It was simple fare, but it was good. We chipped in with various items we purchased from the prison's commissary. The best part, however, was the fellowship - four men sitting down to eat a quiet meal together. While we didn't have fresh turkey, as New York State's prison officials stopped giving special holiday meals to the inmates long ago, what my friends and I prepared for ourselves was just fine.

Besides, I have been seeing articles in the local newspapers about the big increase in the number of those now going hungry. The local food pantries and soup kitchens, as various reports declare, cannot keep up with the demand as more people lose their jobs. Or for those who are still employed, the rising prices of many food items are making it difficult to provide one's family with a balanced meal that's affordable.

Some of the articles also mentioned that these days the soup kitchens and feeding stations in Sullivan County have had to turn people away when the food runs out. Knowing this has caused me to be humbled, and to become more thankful for what I have. While prison food is not the best, at least I have food to put in my stomach.

D.B.