My pay it forward took place Thanksgiving 2008. Two of our grown sons were laid off and hubby's hours were down. We have 10 grandchildren and noone had money for a Thanksgiving dinner. We have freecycle in our area and someone had listed they had 2 turkeys to give away. They were taking requests for a week and would decide. I waited about three days before I put in a request but thought nothing ventured, nothing gained. I was chosen at the end and off I went to get a turkey.
I figured I had some canned goods and pudding or jello and enough potatoes & with the turkey I could make a decent meal for all of us. The most important thing is the family together anyway. With all of the kids & grandkids there are 18 of us and it is a rarity.
When I came to the freecyclers home, she not only had "A" turkey for me but both! Also bags and boxes of all the trimmings. Stuffing mix, sweet potatoes & marshmallows for the top, regular potatoes, broth, frozen veggies, pies, cool whip, rolls....more than I could have dreamed. I admit I cried! It was so overwhelming!
We had a wonderful dinner and there was more than we could use. I put the rest away reminding the family to remember the generosity and kindness; how important it is to do for others.
At Christmas time there was an elderly woman on freecycle asking for help with a Christmas meal she did not expect to have to provide. She had family coming from out of town and no money. She would take whatever anyone had to offer. I had the other turkey, another can of sweet potatoes, pies, and bought her some milk and eggs and a few other things..of course she was as overwhelmed as I was at Thanksgiving. I shared my story with her.
We should all "pay it forward" as often as we can. It is why there was not only one man created. We are here for each other!
~Cheryl Hunt~
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