This week, I was grocery shopping and a lady casually remarked, “The holiday season is upon us.” She didn’t seem overly excited about it. In fact, it almost sounded like she wished it was over.

Yes, Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away. Years ago, the retail merchants waited until after Thanksgiving to advertise Christmas. Not so today! The focus on Christmas has smothered the Thanksgiving Day celebration, leaving it as just another holiday.

One of my favorite holidays is Thanksgiving. We still have three weeks before Nov. 26, and maybe if we got out of ourselves and concentrated on the less fortunate in our community, Thanksgiving Day would be more meaningful.

A few years ago, at a drug rehabilitation halfway house, I noticed three posters on the wall:

One showed an old man sleeping on a park bench. The inscription read: I was homeless and the Christian prayed for me in the comfort of his home.

Another showed an old lady sick, lonely, and crying. That poster read: I was sick and the Christian thanked God for his good health.

The last poster showed two young, poorly dressed hungry children

with looks of desperation which read: We were hungry and the Christian gave thanks for his abundance of food.

Yes, it’s important to pray, but God expects us to put wheels to our prayers. We are commanded to love one another.

As we prepare for Thanksgiving Day, let’s make an effort to reach out to the less fortunate in our community, not only during this time, but throughout the year.

Hebrews 13:1 and 2 reads, “Continue to love each other with true brotherly love. Don’t forget to be kind to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!

If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call (985) 652-8477, or e-mail: hkeller@comcast.net.