Holiday celebrations are meant to be spent with family and friends. The smell of turkey roasting in the oven, of pine from a real Christmas tree and home cooked goodies warm our hearts. We close our eyes and savor the realization: we are part of a family we love.

But what if this year, we spend the holiday all alone?

I’d like to share this testimony of what God did to meet me at Thanksgiving this year (2020).

I was feeling very sorry for myself, disappointed at what I would be missing – the smell of turkey and being home with family.

My last year’s Thanksgiving (2019) in Bar Harbor, Maine had been very difficult. That evening, I celebrated the day with strangers at the Trailhead Café next to the Criterion Theater. It was one of those community potlucks for people without family.

The food was good – no complaints there. Rather, what was so difficult was being a total stranger to everyone. I didn’t know how to start the conversation. I felt so alone.

Yet, even that day, God provided several consolations:

First, I was able to work on Thanksgiving Day at the Front Desk of the Bar Harbor Inn. This allowed me to keep my mind off the sadness of being away from family for most of the day.

Second, the General Manager brought a plate of food from his Thanksgiving Dinner for me to enjoy. It was so delicious! And the family atmosphere in which it was prepared still lingered on the plate.

This year (2020) was a little different. The hotel had to close a bit early due to a COVID-19 scare at the restaurant. Thankfully, I was able to work three more weeks in maintenance, through the holiday.

This year, instead of bearing the burden alone, I let my prayer team know honestly how I was doing. And they prayed for me.

They are the heroes of this story…

Spoiled Plans

This year, I had been hoping to prepare a turkey for Thanksgiving, and share it with friends in a similar situation as I was in.

However, I made a terrible mistake: I left the turkey out in the open to thaw instead of letting it thaw in the refrigerator.

So on Thanksgiving Day, the turkey had a very bad smell. I had to throw it away. With disappointment, I called my friends to tell them there would be no turkey this year, for me, or them.

That’s when God provided my Thanksgiving Miracle.

Hannah could not enjoy the Temple Feast

With no Thanksgiving meal to cook and no one to deliver it to, I settled down and had devotions. The reading for the day was 1 Samuel Chapter 1. In this passage, Hannah couldn’t enjoy the feast at the Temple because she had no child.

Her co-wife keeps teasing her for her barren womb. Then, to make her feel better, her husband asks, “Am I not worth more to you than ten sons?”

This is way too much grief for her heart to bear. So she rushed into the Temple, and prayed desperately for God to bless her… and becomes full of faith that God will meet her need.

From this passage, God taught me that Thanksgiving is NOT about turkey and cranberry sauce! It’s about being thankful. It’s about remembering what God has done for us, even if it’s just being alive to face another year. Thanksgiving Day is a reminder to trust God, no matter what we’re going through at the time.

I was not alone to learn this lesson. The Pilgrims presiding over the First Thanksgiving in Plymouth learned it well. Their Thanksgiving celebration wasn’t a feast of Butterball® turkeys and mounds of mashed potatoes. There were no pies, for there was no flour. It was merely a rejoicing, and a sigh of relief, that God helped them be ready for the coming winter. The winter before, they lost about a third of their company as many starved to death aboard the ship.

Thanksgiving Turkey

Once “class” was over with my Teacher Jesus, He provided a turkey dinner on the day of the celebration.

For this blessing, God allowed my friend Walter to save the day. Walter is the longest lasting employee who still works at the Bar Harbor Inn. He’s also a great cook.

Before leaving work the day before, he gave me his phone number and said, “If you need anything to eat tomorrow, please let me know. Don’t go without a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving.”

As soon as I threw the turkey into the dumpster, I called Walter. And when his dinner was ready, he came over, mask and all, and let me choose first from his meal to fill my plate!

Because God had put my situation in perspective, my Thanksgiving dinner was melt-in-your-mouth delicious… the best I had enjoyed in YEARS.

As I ate my Thanksgiving meal this year, I was humbled and embarrassed for thinking about my troubles so much.

Yet, because He is kind, God used a spoiled turkey to gently remind this “spoiled turkey” that I belong to a Family far closer than my family on earth.

If you are spending this coming holiday away from those you love, please don’t suffer alone. I would like to pray with you to have your own unique testimony of God’s faithfulness. You can contact me privately, or share your story the MaineStreams Community in the comments below: