When we take the focus off ourselves, that is when we experience the true spirit of Thanksgiving.
A truly thankful person is not trying to accumulate things for himself or herself. He or she is blessed to bless others!
During our review days in Manila, we meet a man whom we fondly call uncle Edgar. He lives alone in a small kubo just outside the gates of St. Andrews Seminary. He sells vegetables and a few candies. Every time we pass by his kubo we would buy any candy out of pity. He wears old clothes with mismatched shoes. He plays the harmonica so well that during our breaks we request him to play a song or two.
On one afternoon, he exclaimed, “The Lord is so good! I came out of my kubo this morning and found a bag full of shoes and clothing on my door!”“That’s wonderful, Uncle Edgar!” we said. “We’re happy for you!”“You know what’s even more wonderful?” he asked. “Just yesterday I met some people that could really use them.”Uncle Edgar understood the key to thanksgiving. It includes both Thanks and Giving. Someone thought he could use a gift of shoes and clothing, and he probably did need them, but he immediately thought of someone else who needed it more than he did. Such generosity!
