Thankful for your help to make the Turkeys Fly

Lemont IL

05 December, 2021

7:33 PM

Description

Thankful to be here with you…. Just a couple weeks ago the Hope and Friendship Board, and myself, were thrilled to gather at the Village of Lemont Public Works Garage (Thank you to our amazing and wonderful Lemont Public Works) and we watched as 128 Turkeys came in for a landing, all gifted to us to gift forward. (Thank you Richard's Building Supplies; Jewel Food Store- especially thank you to all who donated so generously at the registers; and Tap House Grill Lemont). I was blessed with generous financial donations that I was able to make a last-minute purchase of Jewel Gift Cards to assist with the food that would surround that incoming bird. (Thank you to all who donate what you can as you are able to Hope and Friendship allowing us to meet such basic and essential needs.) Our Lemont Juniorettes dropped off freshly baked cakes to accompany the birds on their flight (Thank you to my young friends who are such great role models in our community, and to their amazing adult leaders). More than 30 volunteers signed up on our volunteer link to be the Turkey Uber Drivers and showed up to let us load up their cars and send them off to bring the gift of Thanksgiving to so many within our corner of the world. (Thank you to every one of our selfless driver/delivery volunteers who willingly offered their time and effort to make the ripples of thanks move throughout this beautiful Village.) Then on Tuesday I was given another 23 beautiful birds, from some gentlemen who were gifted Turkeys from their employer, and was able to extend a belated offer of assistance to those we missed on the previous Saturday as well as offer some of our abundance to "Bags of Hope" as they would be assisting homeless in Chicago. (Thank you my friends for taking what you were given and paying it forward to a neighbor.) My friends, our ripples traveled, thrilled, and fulfilled the hopes and wishes of more than you will ever know. It is such a mind-blowing feeling to see such unconditional love and kindness flow around me. You didn't ask for me to "prove" the needs. You didn't need to know the stories I was entrusted with behind the doors of homes who were struggling financially, emotionally, physically, and simply are in a most difficult chapter of their story. You allowed compassion to flow freely during a week that invites us to stop, to be purposefully and present in act of Thanksgiving, to some who are having such a hard time finding the energy and heart to be thankful during such difficult days. Your gift of food; your presence at the door; your non-judgmental generosity gave hundreds the opportunity to feel a #GodHug. He was able to affirm and reach the heart of the person who needed to feel loved through you; because of you our corner of the world reverberated a collective expression of thanks, for the whole massive group of us, at tables we weren't even present at, but yet our gift of friendship and food was. I am thankful every single day for being placed in this corner of the world, leading this group of friends, expending this massive endless amount of love and compassion, and witnessing the indescribable beauty of unconditional, unjudgmental grace and kindness, but I especially said prayers of thanks for all of this and more last week watching you extend your hand of friendship into our neighbors' homes and hearts. I wish you the strength to feel thankful for each and every day, but on the days that you just don't have it within you, I wish for you the kindness of a friend (possibly one you have never met or never will) to being light and love into that difficult day. My wish is that "Hope and Friendship" is a conduit of that gift. #Thanksgiving2021 #TheDaytheTurkeysFly #HopeandFriendship #bestcorneroftheworld #onevillageunited #manyneedsmanyheartseveryonematters #thankfulforyou www.hopeandfriendshipfoundation.com