"It was Thanksgiving Day and I was ten years old. I was in
a welfare ward of a city hospital and was scheduled to undergo major
orthopedic surgery the next day. I knew that I could only look
forward to months of confinement, convalescence and pain. My father
was dead; my mother and I lived alone in a small apartment and we
were on welfare. My mother was unable to visit me that day. "
As
the day went on, I became overwhelmed with the feeling of loneliness,
despair and fear. I knew my mother was home alone worrying about me,
not having anyone to be with, not having anyone to eat with and not
even having enough money to afford a Thanksgiving Day dinner.
"The
tears welled up in my eyes, and I stuck my head under the pillow and
pulled the covers over it, I cried silently, but oh so bitterly, so
much that my body racked with pain.
"A young student nurse heard
my sobbing and came over to me. She took the covers off my face and
started wiping my tears. She told me how lonely she was, having to
work that day and not being able to be with her family.
She asked me
whether I would have dinner with her. She brought two trays of food:
sliced turkey, mashed a potatoes, cranberry sauce and ice cream for
dessert.
She talked to me and tried to calm my fears. Even though she
was scheduled to go off duty at 4 P.M., she stayed on her own time
until almost 11 P.M. She played games with me, talked to me and
stayed with me until I finally fell asleep.
"Many Thanksgivings
have come and gone since I was ten, but one never passes without me
remembering that particular one and my feelings of frustration, fear,
loneliness and the warmth and tenderness of the stranger that somehow
made it all bearable."
If you want others to like you, if you
want to develop real friendships, if you want to help others at the
same time as you help yourself,
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