Thanks for Giving

25 Thanks for Giving When I was growing up, we didn't have a lot of money. Although my dad had a good job, there were nine of us living in a small house-my brother and his wife and baby, my other brother and my sister, my mom and dad, my grandfather, a cousin, and a dog and a cat! We ate a lot of food that was not very expensive. We never went out for dinner, and if we did anything special, it was to go for a picnic. My friend Kenny was not like me at all. He was rich. He had the fanciest bike and many toys. He had every thing he wanted, but his parents were not around much. They were always working or on business trips. It was October before I realized this. One day, when I was playing at Kenny's house I said, “ This weekend, we're having a big Thanksgiving dinner with some of our neighbours. " Then, I asked Kenny, “ What are you doing this weekend? You're probably going to a fancy restaurant or flying some-where. "

A strange look came over his face. “ Sure. We're going to have a great time this weekend. My dad is probably going to buy a new car. " That weekend, we had a huge dinner with more than twenty people at our house. We were just starting to eat when the doorbell rang. It was Kenny. " Hello, Kenny, " my mother said. “ Are you coming to dinner too?" " Well, I. . . uh. . . " stammered Kenny. My dad jumped up from the table right away and sat Kenny down beside me. Soon, my friend was eating and having a great time. It turned out that Kenny's parents were both out of town on business trips. He was all alone. From then on, Kenny stayed with us many times - sometimes for days. My parents never took money from Kenny's parents when they offered. As my dad said at the Thanksgiving dinner table, " Let's all be thankful for what we have, and remember that Thanksgiving is all about giving. "