an unwanted side dish…

boy from niger

Thanksgiving used to be a pure holiday for me.

No gifts exchanged; no commercialism. Just 100% of the focus on food and family (and football, naturally).

Now it comes with an unwanted side dish – guilt.

Sure, I’m going to enjoy it and be supremely thankful for the ridiculous mountain of blessings that I’ve received.

I have a beautiful, loving wife, 4 healthy and wonderful children (including the newest addition – Asher, born 11/18/10), a comfortable home and a phenomenal family.

I have a job that I love WAY too much. A job that fills me with meaning and purpose. A job that challenges me every day. A job that allows me to touch the future, one amazing student at a time. A job that is not a job.

I love to teach!

So, why the helping of guilt on the side?

I will feast while many people in this country have no job.

I will feast while children in Africa are starving (I heard a story yesterday about a 6 month old in Niger, Africa that weighed 3 lbs. My newborn son weighed 9.5 lbs.).

I will feast while 30% of my students are categorized as homeless.

Don’t get me wrong, I will enjoy this holiday. I will enjoy the time with my family, the football and the mouth watering turkey goodness. I will be extra thankful for what I have.

Yet, I won’t forget those who have none of what I do.

Photo used under creative commons license from the Flickr photostream of foto_morgana