The Joy of a Relaxed Thanksgiving by Doug Mayberry on Creators.com

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The Joy of a Relaxed Thanksgiving

Q: Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday. In our retirement village, neighbors celebrate with open houses, barbecues and potluck dinners. However, several of them find it difficult to join in because of physical handicaps or do not feel comfortable in coming alone to parties. Is there a way to help them celebrate with us?

A: Yes. Your thoughtfulness can become one of your best Thanksgivings and possibly the startup of an annual celebration. By phone, enlist a few of your friends to agree to prepare an extra surprise Thanksgiving meal with the trimmings to a person or family you know who will not have one. Title your group the "Thanksgiving Foot Soldiers" or something similar.

Each participant could make their own delivery, and what a joy and pleasure that will be! Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and focus on love, caring, friendship, and memories. Because it is not a gift-giving holiday, it is among the most relaxing and happiest holidays. Sharing traditions, being thankful and being appreciative of our good luck in being born Americans are a major blessing.

Thanksgiving is secular and unique, and we can all greet one another as friends and need not be concerned with religious differences. We share common history and founding. It could also be a great day to enjoy a walk after a filling meal, perhaps drawing names for holiday gifts or writing your predictions for next and dropping them into a bowl to reread at your next Thanksgiving. That reading should be a hoot!

Q: This year, we are bombarded with appeals by charity organizations to send checks.

We understand the needs, but sometimes, we would like to experience a "touch-feely" kind of contact with the recipients. Is there a way to do so?

A: Yes. There are numerous ways to share one-on-one experiences. As a child, do you remember finding a nickel or dime on a sidewalk? For me, that was a wow. Recently, while out walking, I found a $10 bill on the pavement. Later, I dropped the bill in a thrift store donation jar. Being able to do that was my gift.

Donations do not have to be money, but simple acts of kindness, which express our common interests, can make your day. Consider leaving a couple of bucks on the table at your local library and watching the finder's face when he or she picks them up. When you are in a toy store and witness a mother and her child eyeing a toy, which she probably cannot afford, pay for it; ask to gift it to the mother and child. Baking several plates of cookies and secretly placing them at your neighbor's front door without identifying yourself brings joy.

During Thanksgiving week, while you are shopping, make it a point to take time, smile and say "Happy Thanksgiving" to strangers. Usually, they will return your smile and greeting. Have you considered donating a plant or vase of heavenly bamboo to your clubhouse or doctor's reception for everyone to enjoy? Often, it is the little things you do that bring big personal rewards.

Life is simply a video and we leave our memory in the unseen camera!

Doug Mayberry makes the most of life in a Southern California Retirement community. Contact him at deardoug@msn.com. To find out more about Doug Mayberry and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.