Like many of you, my Thanksgiving Day tradition includes taking some time to count my blessings. So many are obvious: good health, loving family, ample food, a warm home, faithful friends, a great neighborhood, an uplifting church, meaningful work. I suspect most of those items are on your list, too. In fact, for most of us, if we’re not careful to stop and take inventory from time to time, we’re likely to take those good gifts for granted.
Members of The Well Community, because of the complexities of mental illnesses, live lives where such basic blessings are often just dreams. Yet they are a grateful group. Around our Thanksgiving meal at The Well, I heard a few members talk about the blessings they have:
“I’m happy because I was able to get my bills paid for another month.”
“My grandson is the joy of my life. I was not able to buy him a birthday card this month, but a friend from The Well helped me make him one.”
“I feel blessed because I have a place to stay during the holidays.”
“A few months ago I had a stroke, and as a result I had to learn how to talk and walk again. It was a difficult time for me, but God was by my side at all times and that’s why I’m here now.”
“I’m thankful for The Well because I have a place to go where I can be with my friends and worship the Lord.”
But of all the genuine expressions of gratitude that day, I find myself continually thinking most about what Well Member Donna shared: “I’m thankful for The Well and the people who come here. Without this place I would be lost.”
Indeed. The Well offers a place for the lost to be found, for the hungry to be fed and the stigmatized to be welcomed.
Blessed to serve here,
Alice
P.S. If you would like to serve at The Well Community as a volunteer, I’d love to talk with you. Send me an email at [email protected] or give us a call at (214) 393-5878, ext. 604.
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