How’s that for a title?!?

Guys. It’s me today. As it is the week of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share a little story with you. Before I do, I wanted to tell you about a fun evening I had with some friends & the Denver Rescue Mission.

A little while ago, some bloggers and other awesome peeps teamed up with the Denver Rescue Mission at a local eatery for a food drive. The guests brought food that was donated to the homeless living here in Denver. There were lots. of. turkeys. A few of my awesome friends made this event happen – including my friend, Sarah Noel. The lady is charismatic. And she knows how to get people to give their canned goods. (Don’t mind that I gave a few cans of beefaroni. It’s delicious and needs to be shared!)

Sarah and the rest of her gang inspired me to be more giving this holiday season. I sometimes get caught up in the tinsel and glitter that the holidays bring, and I forget to sit back and be grateful for what I already HAVE. As I type these words, Vita is crying herself to sleep. (Workin’ on self-soothing. I’m a mess.) I’m grateful that she has a healthy set of lungs on her. So simple. But that means the world to me.

Did I mention that this party took place at Denver’s hottest breakfast spot, Snooze Eatery?!? The Snooze folks were generous enough to host this lil’ bash and cater the whole thing, too. If you’ve ever been to Denver and eaten here, then you know. If you haven’t… well then you haven’t lived. Pineapple pancakes and a syrup that I am convinced was mostly sweetened condensed milk. As it should be.

To change the tone of this post into a more depressing one, I’m going to tell you a little story. When I was 7 years old, our house burned down. On Christmas Day. No joke.

Luckily, my family was away visiting grandparents that day so we weren’t there. But everything was destroyed. My room was toast. Get it? Toast! All of our presents were burnt to a crisp and, in an instant, I was without clothes. I was without toys (that was still the best Christmas year for toys, I tell you). I was without a home.

My siblings and I were devastated because we were all of the sudden left with nothing. And do you know what happened? Families in our neighborhood – some we knew, some we didn’t – gave us their presents. They donated their clothes. They gave us money to help us out. I was blown away by the generosity of little children. I was only 7 at the time, but I was taught what it means to be charitable and giving. I’ll never forget that. Every holiday season, I always remember that experience and how it changed my childhood for the better.

To get y’all happy again – we were able to live in a hotel thanks to insurance. Continental breakfast every morning, my friend. And you wonder where I get my love of donuts and other processed foods…

This year, I encourage you to take a more active part in giving in your community. Feed the homeless. Adopt a family for the holidays. Give up something so that others can have.

Photography: Rachel Greiman of Denver Rescue Mission