Santa Parade - Andover, Massachusetts

The clear, brisk day just called out for frolic and fun. The town of Andover hosts an annual Christmas Parade each year. This year it fell on November 28th, and the main street was closed to all traffic around 1:00 PM. The parade started, as usual, from the common and ran though Main Street and back to the common near town hall. Various marching bands, gymnastic groups, dance studios, scouts and firemen, as well as local officials participated. The grand finale of course was Santa himself, riding through town on the largest fire truck, throwing candy and ho ho ho's to all of the happily waving children, who lined the street eager for a glimse of the jolly St. Nick.

Thanksgiving at Lazarus House

After many years of hoping for a chance to spend Thanksgiving serving at a homeless shelter, and spending time focusing on others needs as a way to give thanks for all of the opportunity that God has given me, I called the Lazarus House in Lawrence to offer my help for the day. I arrived around 11:00 in the morning and there was a group of volunteers gathered for the orientation session. There was already a huge line of people in need were waiting for the doors to open to the dinner hall.
The idea was not only to serve the traditional turkey dinner, but also to sit down and socialize with the guests and listen to their stories and concerns. That was a very rewarding aspect of the event, as it offered them an opportunity to feel heard and understood.
There were a number of local officials, such as the mayor present, and other leaders of the community who pulled together to make this a memorable day for all.
After the dinner, I offered to deliver meals to those who were unable to come to the dinner due to transportation or health issues. It was such a joy to see the people open the door to receive the meals, as they were thrilled with the chance to enjoy the turkey, pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes.