Originally posted November 25, 2011, at Bekah Across the Pond. Republished with permission of the author.
Editor’s note: Bekah Swanson is spending a year in England as a young-adult volunteer with the ELCA.
Thanksgiving is not celebrated here in England; not many people even know what Thanksgiving is.
The best question I got about it was: “Is it like the end of Ramadan? Have you been fasting for a month!?” Yep. No idea what Thanksgiving is all about. So needless to say, I had to do a bit of explaining.
I was going to cook a Thanksgiving meal for my host family, but timing with all of us just didn’t work out so it looked like no turkey for Bekah.
On Thanksgiving Day my friend Sally gave me a ride to work. I really was not even thinking about the day nor did I expect anyone else to even give it a thought.
I never expected what was waiting for me at work.
I walk into the office to find signs with pictures of great American icons pinned up around the office, George Bush, Mariah Carey, the Statue of Liberty.
But this was only the first surprise. On my desks were cards, candy, cakes, “American-style cola” (the actual name) and other trinkets.
One girl even made mini-pumpkin pies! Amazing. People had literally gone out of their way to make this day special for me.
It was an absolutely incredible feeling, not just that I had a lot of candy waiting for me, but the feeling of acceptance.
I don’t think that in my lifetime so many people, at one time, have made me feel this much at home and welcomed into their lives.
Not when I went to college.
Not when I moved to Minneapolis.
Never.
At the end of the day it wasn’t about the candy or the mass amount of sugar I consumed. It was all about the amazing people that have welcomed me into their family.
And that, dear friends, is what I am thankful for.
Find a link to Bekah Swanson’s entry on the blog Bekah Across the Pond at Lutheran Blogs.
You might also want to read:
Radical hospitality
Raising funds for mission
A new beginning
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