MennoNet.com

This weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada.
We have a full weekend, but today my thoughts went to a few friends that I have that are single and lonely. Holidays can be really hard for many people - it can be especially lonely for the sick, poor, elderly, lost, people with passed family members, and etc. (And even people that have many contacts can become stressed.)

So a last minute reminder for us in Canada and well over a months warning for those in the US:

Luke 14:12-14
When said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.
But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

My parents invited a widow neighbour for Christmas Eve supper one year when I was about 11. She talked for nearly three hours straight about her experience in Europe during world war 2 and coming to Canada. It was really fascinating and enjoyable.

This is something we take for granted. Some random thoughts:

Once a year, our church has a special service honoring our "golden agers." Many of them are widowed. It lets them know they are not forgotten.

I also think of the single, never married middle agers that struggle to fit in.

Everyone has a story to tell, and sometimes having someone to tell it to means a lot.

steve-in-kville wrote:This is something we take for granted. Some random thoughts:

Once a year, our church has a special service honoring our "golden agers." Many of them are widowed. It lets them know they are not forgotten.

I also think of the single, never married middle agers that struggle to fit in.

Everyone has a story to tell, and sometimes having someone to tell it to means a lot.

I agree with this. It would be a blessing to those who live alone if they could go to a church luncheon once a month instead of the holiday once or twice a year scenario.

I say luncheon because older people don't like to drive at night for a supper.

Just being able to get out once a month and talk to people helps keep people in touch.