Turkey Turkey Goose #UseYourWords

Welcome to November's Use Your Words challenge. This is how it works: participating bloggers picked four to six words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once and all the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That is the challenge, here is a fun twist; no one who is participating knows who got their words and in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.

My words are: 

turkey ~ indian corn ~ traditions ~ packages ~ family

It was submitted by: https://cognitivescript.blogspot.com/ 

So, when I opened the e-mail with my words, I instantly knew what I was going to write about, the very moment I saw turkey. I just needed to figure how to fit them all in. So, bear with me...

This time of year is magical for me. I think it is partially because of the weather, but it also the holidays. As you know from other posts, I don't have a ton of traditions, so we are making our own traditions, as each holiday passes. 

One tradition that my dad and I did have, was delivering packages of food to families in need, at the holidays. We volunteered with the local food bank, and we would box the food up, and deliver them. I loved it. So, I have carried that tradition into our own family traditions. We don't deliver the packages, but we do man the turkey drive location, and help gather up donations. Local churches and organizations handle the deliveries. Though, I am sure if my dad were here, he would jump right in and start deliveries. 

This year, is going to be extra special for me. I am sure it will also be extra hard. It is my first Thanksgiving without my Dad being alive. We are going to be out on Saturday and Sunday, collecting donations, so the can be handed out next week. This year, I have the great honor of being able to donate money to the Food Bank. I know my Dad would absolutely approve of me spending the "extra" insurance money this way. It is something he would do. Plus, I am hoping to make an even bigger impact, and Gigi and I issued a challenge, and have offered to match donations dollar for dollar, up to $2500. Fingers crossed we reach that goal amount! 

Far be it from me to tell anyone how to live their life. I promise you, I am truly just winging it. I am clueless, and just do what feels right in the moment, because I have no clue what I am doing. There is one thing I have discovered over the course of my life.... Helping others, helps you more than it ever helps the people you help. The happiness I feel inside, when I am helping in some way, is amazing. It is one of my biggest sources of happiness in life. So, if you can, and are willing... Volunteer at a Turkey Drive. You will feel so uplifted, it will make up for the craziness of this world. It will soothe your soul. Every turkey drive I work, I have numerous moments, where something is said by someone donating food, or by someone who will be receiving the food, that literally heals my soul a bit. These moments of just pure love for humans and acts of good. I restores my faith in the world, and renews my hope, that in the end, kindness and love will defeat hate. 

Also, if you don't want to volunteer. I totally understand. We all make our own impacts on the world. If working a turkey drive isn't for you, I am sure you have some other way you make the world better, and I thank you for that. I am so grateful for every good deed that is done in this world. It is those good deeds that help love and goodness win. 

So, if you are keeping track, I only need to use Indian Corn. There, done. I kid. I kid. So, when I read it, I instantly remembered a story from my childhood, and I decided if I could not work the words into my post, I would just add the story to the end, and here we are.

When I was young, I called Indian Corn by the name Painted Corn. If I had to guess, I would say it is because it was colorful. Well, I remember telling a lady at our church one Sunday, before Thanksgiving, I hoped I could help paint the corn for the decorations one day. She commented that a painting of corn would be a lovely decoration. So, I told her I did not want to paint a picture of corn, I wanted to paint the painted corn. She eventually figured out what I meant. She then told me how people do not paint the corn, that it actually grows that way. I was amazed. I did not know corn could grow any color other than yellow. I really thought people painted the corn kernel by kernel. 

I honestly do not know if Gigi has ever seen Indian Corn. I am now on a mission to find some, and show it to her. I want to see her reaction. I wonderful if she will think it is painted?! I will let you guys know over on my Facebook page. 

I hope you all have a beautiful week, and a very happy Thanksgiving, if you are celebrating it next week. I hope you all have an over abundance of things to be grateful for!! Don't forget to check out the rest of the Use Your Words posts. I will meet you there!!

Links to the other “Use Your Words” posts:

Baking In A Tornado

On the Border

The Blogging 911  

Cognitive Script

Part Time Working Hockey Mom

Sparkly Poetic Weirdo

Climaxed