A Thankful Season

With Halloween just around the corner, there are signs of the fast approaching holiday season.  Instead of ghosts and goblins decorating the shelves, it is the Fall cornucopias filled to the brim with gourds and pine cones and yes, little stuffed pilgrims sitting on shelves of the stores, all waiting to grace some one's holiday table.  Along with this season comes an abundance of "comfort foods" along with family celebrations.  Fred's News was no different.  We cooked for our patrons in the morning, feasting on the Thanksgiving dinner with our family in the evening.  We have much to be thankful for.

For a number of years Fr. Mike, the chaplain at the Sisters of Charity, Holy Family Mother house, would bring loads of turkeys and other holiday foods to Fred's News.  The stipulation...we have to find families in need.  Only God knows how many families were in need.  Good to his word, we'd make a list and off he'd go delivering the goods, so these families would have the best celebration.  Some would return to us and say thank you. At first, I couldn't understand why thanking us, but soon the story unfolded.  "Your neighbors at Fred's News thought you might be able to use this food."  We explained the food came from the good Sisters, we are just their "snitch".  Fr, Mike and the Sisters appreciated the help, we saw the sadness of the needy, many in the immediate neighborhood.

Somehow the Thanksgiving season wasn't all about food.  Over our years at the little restaurant, there were many young children that visited the place.  Some here for just a few weeks, some still there, now grown and just as needy.  One particular little boy named Mikey, had such a charismatic personality.  His plight of torn clothes and old shoes didn't seem to affect his outlook on life.  A vivid imagination, we welcomed him to Fred's News every afternoon after school.  Mikey and his mom were receipients of the holiday food basket from the convent.  Tears of joy filled his Mom's eyes as we gave her a turkey, "Nobody has ever been this kind to me and Mikey, please tell the nuns, Thank you."  We relayed the message and enjoyed Mikey's stories of how mom had cooked the dinner, with his help of course.  Soon after, the weather turned much colder.  Mikey came into Fred's one afternoon, not his usual jovial self.  His jacket torn wide open running from some older children picking on him.  He never told us who or why but, I found a jacket, now much to small for our boys packed away.  Mikey wore it proudly.  Much too soon, Mikey and his mom moved on.  We never knew where or why but we were thankful we had a chance to meet him.  He taught all a lesson of Thanksgiving.