Yesterday, I walked into a stranger’s home uninvited. No, I wasn’t doing anything criminal — I was just oblivious.

Let me explain … someone in our small group is in a cast, so we were meeting at their home. I had been to their home briefly once last year, so I didn’t feel the need to get the exact address. I thought to myself, I know where it is.

We found their street and I began silently patting myself on the back for such a great memory. The catering vehicle in the driveway made me think he drove his in-laws vehicle home after helping with a reception earlier. The three of us got out of the car, walked up to the house, and I rang the doorbell holding my covered snack. A smiling woman opened the door.

“Hello.” she said.

“Hi!” I said equally friendly as I walked into the home.

I recognized the layout of the house, but not the woman. The furniture was different, but I thought perhaps they moved things around since I last visited. My husband and daughter, sensing something wasn’t right, stopped short of coming in the door. Not me … I walked straight past the woman and into the entryway figuring she was the attendee of the group we hadn’t met yet.

I looked around, puzzled by not seeing our hosts or their daughters. Her strange and silent look at me caused me to ask where they were.

“Ummm. They aren’t here, but they were last night.” She said.

Now it was my turn for a strange look. That’s odd. Why would they not be home? Who is this woman?

“I think you might have the wrong house.” She kindly said.

Mortification flooded through me.

“What? This isn’t their house?” I asked.

“No, they live next door.”

I must have turned fifty shades of red at that moment. I apologized profusely, embarrassed that I walked so carefree into a stranger’s home. I promptly walked back out, apologized more and followed my family to the house next door.

Today, I’m still mortified. If the tables were turned and some stranger walked into my entryway uninvited, I don’t know that I would be so kind and friendly.

It makes me think of the verse, “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” (Hebrews 13:2) To be hospitable is to make someone feel comfortable.

We encounter many strangers throughout each day. How do we treat them? Do we take time to make others feel comfortable? Do we shun and criticize others or do our children see our hospitality in action?

With the Thanksgiving holiday around the corner, what can we do to extend a hand to those in need? There are many opportunities to show hospitality to strangers — volunteer to serve dinner at the local Salvation Army or donate food for a Thanksgiving meal for a needy family.

We never know if we are entertaining angels without realizing it, or just being a fantastic role model for our kids.

Three years ago, I was in the middle of a lengthy recovery from a car accident. For someone so active and energetic as myself to suddenly be confined to a recliner, was extremely difficult. Instead of being outside playing with my husband and daughter, I watched from the window. While they walked, took hikes, and rode bikes together, I stayed indoors waiting for them to return.

It was easy to get discouraged and focus on all the things I could not do with my family. I spent many days wallowing in my self-pity, fighting to loose its grip. As Thanksgiving approached that year, I was reminded of my “Jar of Thankfulness” I had created a year before. My thankfulness jar contained small pieces of paper inscribed with items for which I was thankful.

When I first created the jar, it started out tough. I wrote down the first two things that came to mind — my husband and daughter. Then I drew a blank. I wanted to give up and forget the exercise, but I trudged on. Slowly, a few things came to mind. I wrote them down, then a few more surfaced. The more I wrote down, the more items came to my mind. Soon my jar was already half-full.

When my lengthy recovery felt like it would never end, I went to my Jar of Thankfulness. One by one, I opened the pieces of paper and read them aloud. I didn’t have to read too many before my attitude began to turn around. Soon, just seeing my jar on my counter brought a smile to my face, as I knew what the papers said.

Often, it’s hard to see past the turmoil we feel when enduring a difficult situation. Discouragement is like a vacuum that threatens to suck us into its dark cavity. Thankfulness on the other hand, is like a ray of light shining on us in the midst of a gloomy day.

Each of us has much to be thankful for regardless of our circumstances. The only question is where we put our focus.

Combat the gloomies — create a Jar of Thankfulness!

I blinked and it’s November. I’m not sure how that happened, but it did. On Friday, the grocery store had an isle of what I call Christoweens — half Halloween candy and half Christmas goodies. If not already, stores will be playing Christmas music very soon.

With the holidays around the corner, that means everyone starts being more rushed and stressed. Instinctively this weekend, I’ve found myself thinking, “I’m not ready, I’m still behind from last month!”

Unfortunately, rather than focusing on the remembrance of thanksgiving this month, the to-do lists, holiday planning, and shopping often overshadows the importance of giving thanks. Thanksgiving often means a day that we spend time cooking, then gorge ourselves with food, only to then stand in the kitchen cleaning up for hours while the men watch football. Then after the gorge-yourself day comes early-morning-shopping day to get the best sales. Which then creates another day called why-did-I-spend-so-much day.

Is that what thanksgiving is truly about? Is it just a day? If so, Canada already celebrated their day last month and it’s done for the year. But in the United States, we’ve got twenty-four days to fret until our day arrives. It sounds silly to think of thanksgiving as just a day, but isn’t that how we treat the word?

Thanksgiving is a state of mind from which our thoughts and words flow. Sure there will be things for which we are not grateful, but that doesn’t mean we negate acknowledging those things for which we do give thanks.

I’m grateful that November reminds me of a holiday that 365 days of the year, I should give thanks.

“Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.” — Robert Caspar Lintner