WHAT DOES A DRIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT through the deserted streets of Denver have to do with Thanksgiving? Well, I can tell you it meant everything to me in understanding that our beloved holiday is about far more than recounting our blessings. It's about thanking God for benefits flowing continuously—even when they're hard to see.
I had received a telephone call at two o'clock one morning from a woman complaining of extreme pain. There was a panicked urgency in her voice, and I said I was happy to give her Christian Science treatment. When she expressed the fear that she might be dying, I volunteered to come for a visit. She quickly accepted my offer, and I headed out the door to make the 20-minute drive.
While navigating my way through urban Denver at that midnight hour, I was tempted to wonder what I was doing out on the streets. It wasn't exactly an optimum time to make a house call. And fatigue was pushing in. But as I sat there at the wheel, a statement from Science and Health came to thought: "Giving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us" (p. 79). This idea refreshed me and lifted me out of personal sense—both mine and the patient's. If I was on a mission to help an individual in need, I could only be blessed for acting out of love. The doubts about taking this latenight excursion were suddenly replaced with gratitude.
