Thanksgiving For The Soul

A third-grade class knows exactly what will brighten an older neighbor’s holiday meal—and it isn’t a roast turkey

- Patricia Sherlock

In October, I told the eight-year-olds in the religion class I teach in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, about my plan. “I’d like all of you to do extra jobs around the house to earn some money,” I said. “Then we’ll buy food for a Thanksgiving dinner for someone who might not have a nice dinner otherwise.”

I wanted the children to experience Acts 20:35—that it’s more blessed to give than to receive. I wanted them to understand that religion is more than nice theological ideas; that people somehow have to make it come alive. I hoped they could experience a sense of their own power to effect change.

Early in Thanksgiving week, the boys and girls arrived in class clutching their hard-earned money. They had raked leaves, set tables, washed dishes, helped with younger siblings. And now they couldn’t wait to go shopping.

I supervised while they darted up and down the supermarket aisles. At last we headed toward the checkout, pushing a cart filled with turkey and all the trimmings. Then someone spotted a “necessity” that sent them racing.