Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 25, 1993 TAG: 9311240075
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: JOY THOMPSON KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
I moved to Long Beach in November 1991, and since I had started a new job, I wasn't able to return to North Carolina to spend Thanksgiving with my family. But at the time, that was the least of my concerns.
My roommate was a woman who had agreed before I came out to share her apartment with me. She was a friend of a friend, and we had talked several times by long distance about living arrangements. So when I came out here, I had a home. It was the perfect setup, I thought. It turned out to be a big mistake.
My new roommate was having serious personal and financial problems. I had no idea how deep they were - until one day, after two weeks of hardly seeing her, she left. She moved out. And I was left to deal with the situation.
I was left to deal with my own fears and insecurities. I was left to deal with the phone calls from her family and friends. I was left to deal with the apartment manager and the bills that had piled up.
And to top it all off, I was left to deal with the loneliness and hurt. The day before Thanksgiving, the phone service was disconnected. I couldn't even call my family. It was turning out to be one of the worst holidays of my life.
But I did have one thing I could be grateful for - my relationship with God. And in hindsight, the experience was good for me. It put me in touch with myself: I can't control everything; life isn't always fair.
It put me in touch with God: My prayer and Bible study grew more intense, and I learned to trust that "in all things God works for the good of those who love the him" (Romans 8:28). The experience also put me in touch with those who suffer: Many people spend Thanksgiving alone, in debt and saddled with insecurities. I could relate.
However, I had something many of those people don't have. I had hope. I had a roof over my head, if only a temporary one. I had a car, even if it was old. I had a job. I had offers from people at my church and at work to eat Thanksgiving dinner with them. And I knew that things would get better, eventually. God was in control. I had hope.
When I think back to that Thanksgiving, I am reminded that the holidays are not joyful occasions for everyone. People suffer, they think no one cares, and they lose hope. That is why suicides are at the highest level this time of year.
Today, and as Christmas approaches, I deeply believe that we need to inspire hope among people. It is up to the people who have hope to reach out to those who don't. Be it a family member whom you haven't spoken to in a while, or an acquaintance who is new in town or a homeless person on the street. Let them into your hearts; let them into your homes.
The next year was much different for me. I had a new apartment. My job was going well. And my bills were caught up. Again, I would not be going back to North Carolina for Thanksgiving or Christmas. But I didn't mind. I had special plans for Christmas.
You see, I had not forgotten my first lonely holiday in Long Beach. And I got up early Christmas morning to help prepare and serve dinner to seniors at a Long Beach agency. I was grateful for how God had blessed my life that year. It was the least I could do.
This year will also be special: My friends and I have already been collecting food and making plans for how we can serve the homeless, hungry and hurting this holiday season. The fields are ripe with opportunities to serve. And they can yield a harvest of hope - for those who care.
\ Joy Thompson is the religion editor of the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, Calif.
by CNB