2022 October #1
By a Joy Junction Staff Member (JBF)
When someone gives you a gift, do you send a hand-written thank you note or card to them?
In years past, people would get out a special piece of pressed paper, a jar of ink, and a calligraphy pen to respond to the gift giver with beautifully written penmanship, expressing how much they appreciated the thoughtfulness.
In today’s fast-pasted, electronic world, a huge portion of the population believes that sending thank you cards is an outdated practice. They don’t want to take the time, interrupting their schedule, to physically write a note or letter.
They would prefer to speak to the gift giver in person, or call them up on the phone, or even send them a text. Some even use Facebook, or like software, to acknowledge the receipt of a gift.
However, no matter how the thank you response is given, the fact that time was taken to do so, is the important thing to focus on.
It makes a difference to the gift giver to know that their efforts have been acknowledged. It’s nice to know, through the thank you note, that the gift receiver understands that someone went out of their way to provide a gift.
The words “thanks” and “giving” go together like a hand and glove. Our Thanksgiving holiday was originally set up to celebrate the harvest and blessings of the past year.
It’s a common understanding that being thankful is not something that is specifically tied to the Thanksgiving holiday. We can choose to be thankful before the holiday and long after the turkey and dressing are gone. The choice is an option each day, all year long.
It is not given to some and not to others. It is something that is taught and developed. To be thankful is to extend appreciation for being thought of.
The Thanksgiving holiday is when many people intentionally set aside time to make themselves stop long enough to take a breath and seriously think about their blessings.
We do the same.
We are extremely blessed to have friends in our city and state who care about the many people who have, for various reasons, become homeless. The pain of being without the comforts of a home is something no one can truly understand until they have been in that position.
Because we have so many who have fallen on hard times, we like to make Thanksgiving a time of pulling together to take care of the hunger needs in our shelter and city by offering a special meal.
Once again, we are serving a holiday meal of turkey with all the fixings, plus dessert and coffee, to anyone in the Albuquerque area who is hungry, homeless, or has no means to provide a special meal.
You can be a part of this Thanksgiving celebration! For just $2.05 per plate, a full Thanksgiving meal can be provided for those who would otherwise go without.
To send in a donation, you can:
- Mail a check or money order to Joy Junction, PO Box 20550, Albuquerque, NM 87154,
- Go online to www.joyjunction.org to use a credit card, or
- Call the Business Office at 505-217-9586.
We are grateful for any amount sent in and every dollar is put to good use.
So, even though we do not write out a thank you note with beautiful calligraphy, we are still very thankful for those who choose to partner with us to minister to the hungry and homeless in our city.
