A little girl named Betty was living under the bridge with her family. She sat next
to her mom, feeling hungry and cold. She finally got to sleep and dreamed of what the holidays must be like.
The next day, Betty and her family walked past shops with Christmas decorations.
She could smell the gingerbread and sugar cookies at the local bakery.
Her mom said
“Don’t worry. Daddy or I will find a job, and you can have all the cookies that you want.”
Betty smiled until her tummy started grumbling, and she was reminded of her reality.
She saw the shoppers scurrying back and forth to the stores. She stopped by a merchant window and looked at the Christmas trees and holiday decorations. She heard the bell ring at the church for their traditional Thanksgiving service. Her parents started walking back towards the bridge. They thought Betty was walking close by them.
It started to snow. Betty decided to walk into the church. There were candles lit, and the church was nice and warm, so she sat down on a pew. She looked up to heaven and prayed that she and her family could sit down for a Thanksgiving meal. Feeling very tired, she suddenly fell asleep on the pew. The pastor saw her and felt compassion for her. He asked her where her parents were. She was startled and suddenly afraid. This man had discovered her there! He gently said,
“You look hungry and cold. Would you and your family like to join us for Thanksgiving?”
“Let me ask my parents.”
She left the church and went to find her family, who were still huddled together under the bridge. Upon seeing his beloved daughter, Betty’s dad asked,
“Where did you go, Betty?” Excitedly, Betty answered,
“A nice man who said he was a pastor invited us for Thanksgiving.”
Her mom asked, “Where is this man?”
Betty answered, “He is at the church. Come and see.”
They followed her to the church. The church had lights glowing
that could be seen from the outside windows. As they walked in, Betty’s dad reverently took off his hat. The pastor came to greet them.
“Welcome! My wife is cooking, and the food is ready. People from the church all worked together to make a community Thanksgiving meal.”
The meal was served in the church’s banquet room. There were picnic-style tables spread out with pretty tablecloths, lovely decorations, and bright red poinsettias around the room. In addition, there was holiday music. Betty could smell apples and cinnamon. There was turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, and several other side dishes. There were several pies and an assortment of cookies and gingerbread. As they sat at the tables, the pastor bowed his head to pray. He thanked God for his many blessings.
The pastor and his wife sat down with Betty and her family. He found out that Betty’s father was a mechanic who was good working with cars. The pastor said that he knew about a shop in town where they can use your skills. Betty’s father said, “I was good at my job. I got laid off because of Covid and there were no jobs. It’s been hard since we lost her home. The pastor listened and understood.
After the Thanksgiving meal, the pastor drove them over to the hotel. It was snowing hard outside. Betty was thankful for a roof over her head and a full belly. They went to sleep the minute their heads hit the pillow. Betty was wondering if this was just a dream or if all of this was really happening. She woke up and realized that she was with her family in the hotel and that she was safe from the storm outside. Bowing her head, she said a prayer of thanks- giving. She could now count her blessings because of the caring and compassion that she and her family had been shown. She thought of the other families who were without food and shelter during the holidays and made a vow to help them with the same love and compassion that she had been shown.
The next day her dad and mom got the jobs that the pastor had mentioned to them. True to their word, they excelled in the auto- mobile shop. All the people in the community, including those without home and shelter, were welcome.
Freely you have received, freely give.
