Thanksgiving – Being Grateful for Our Blessings

I remember the best Christmas ever! We chose not to give each other presents. Instead, we bought the things people on medical assistance at the nursing home couldn’t purchase themselves.

The preparations began at Thanksgiving dinner when I shared the idea.

Local businesses, including Walmart, joined in with savings for what we called “Grandpa’s Express.”

Magic Happens

And then it happened!

A friend of one of my sons heard what we’d planned.

She told her boss. The company she worked for had been working on an idea the employees could all participate in for Christmas.

They loved it!

The local newspaper in Lakeville, MN even wrote an article about our efforts.

We arrived at the nursing home a few days before Christmas. We loaded a car and a van with gifts for the elderly.

There were slippers, socks, pajamas, underwear, sweatshirts, toothpaste, and mouthwash. We had everything the staff told us the elderly needed.

The Reality

When people are in a nursing home on medical assistance, the majority of their social security check goes to care at home.

The small allowance they get each month does not cover clothing and personal needs.

What I didn’t know before this effort is what a staff member told me:

“If the person has no family, there is no one to help with their needs. When someone dies, the family generally doesn’t want their clothes. We wash and iron them and label them so we can give them to those in needs.

This is what life is like in a nursing home today.

Please consider joining the spirit of “Grandpa’s Express” and deliver a few new items (unwrapped) for the staff to distribute this Christmas.

You’ll never find a cause that will make you feel more grateful for the things you have.