Words of Thanks

I fire the words in rapid fashion.

"Welcome"

"Great to see you!"

"Good Morning"

"Happy Thanksgiving"

"Enjoy the meal"

"So good to see you, thanks for coming"

Some of the elderly men push their gnarled hands at me. Hands ravaged by arthritis but still capable of being shaken by an enthusiastic morning anchor. They are old, but they are happy. They are smiling, they are important, if only for a moment in time. It's a steady stream of walkers and wheelchairs. I'm one of the official greeters for Safeway's annual Feast of Sharing.

I was invited to help out by Greg TenEyck. Like me, he's also on the Board of the Capital Area Food Bank. He's committed to doing something about hunger. He had issued the invitation to come out. I answered the call. It's another reminder of how much I have to be thankful for this thanksgiving. This is a such a rich area, and yet so many people live in pockets of poverty here in the Nation's capital. The event is in it's 8Th year. It will attract thousands of the areas neediest. The line is already long when I arrive before 11 am.

If you want to see the face of hunger, this is the place to be. But as you look around you also see the face of Washington. These are people you pass on the street, bump into on the metro. They are young and old. They are black and white. They are also largely invisible. Today they are special. They are waited on, and treated with respect. It's what I call a glass slipper moment. These people will have a magical time and meal, but they won't have to wait until midnight for their carriage to turn back into a pumpkin.

By mid afternoon they will be absorbed back into Washington, taking their place brushing alongside all of us for the next 364 days. Or will they? Perhaps if you have taken the time to read this, you might also take the time to volunteer to work at the Capital Area Food Bank or you might start a food drive. Better yet, you might ask your elected officials to stop bickering with each other and tackle poverty in our country. If we can do these things then this will be a Thanksgiving all of us can be thankful for.