“Imagine a morning in late November. A coming of winter morning more than twenty years ago.” So begins one of my favorite books of the season, A Christmas Memory, by Truman Capote.
In this beautiful memoir, Capote recalls his young self and his elderly cousin struggling to make 31 homemade fruitcakes for folks they hardly know or have never met, yet who have somehow touched their hearts. Because it’s during the Depression, their efforts to acquire the many ingredients take on almost heroic measures. Recipients of these mouthwatering fruitcakes—a labor of love if there ever was one—include President Roosevelt, a missionary couple in Borneo, and the bus driver who waves at them every day as he passes by their ramshackle house.
So this Thanksgiving season, I am inspired to do the same.
Now mind you, I am not about to make 31 fruitcakes, but I would like to send a hand-written note of gratitude to folks who have also touched my heart even though we have never met or I hardly know them. My list would include the medical team who performed the successful double lung transplant on my brother; the young man who shelves books at our local library and who likes to tell you a riddle; the woman at the farmer’s market who throws in an extra tomato just because.
Of course, when I add my family and friends for their random acts of kindness, my list could go on forever.
Who would be on your list? Come join me in this endeavor. Afterall, in a holiday season often fraught with commercialism and stress, a hand-written note of gratitude might be the best gift we give.
