I was in my early 20’s working toward what I’d hoped would be a career in show biz. That hadn’t been going too well and I’d taken a job selling advertising.

The first week on the job had gone well, I was the #1 salesman and was due to be paid on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. It was promisng for not only a nice check but the winner of that weeks bonus pool.

Wednesday was also the day that my small employer announced that it was bankrupt. There would be no checks.

My roommate was also a broke actor. I’d been looking forward to buying him and his girlfriend a nice turkey dinner. But right after I didn’t get my check, he announced that they’d broken up. So, Thanksgiving would be the two of us.

There was no food in our kitchen, well, unless you count potato chips as food, and no money in our pockets.

I come from a middle-class, middle American family where Thanksgiving was always a feast. I realized then how much I’d always taken it for granted; along with many other things.

After scavenging under our beds, beneath the cushions in the furniture and on the floor of my beat-up VW Bug, we pooled our money and set off for our Thanksgiving “feast.”

Denny’s on Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood was chosen because of its obvious ambiance. Right.

We had just enough money to split one hamburger and asked for extra everything and two plates.

A ragged homeless man sitting across from us was eating a beautiful looking (to us) turkey dinner. Between us we didn’t have enough money to split a soda.

We savored our burgers slowly then went home to finish off the potato chips. We laughed a lot about our silly predicament and both proclaimed we’d never again go hungry on Thanksgiving!

No matter what else is happening, it’s the holiday I really am most thankful for now. It’s always the time I make sure to donate to shelters to help others in that predicament.

It’s also this day that I appreciate you and wish you the happiest Thanksgiving ever. May every one be the best yet.

Tom Justin

http://YourInnerWizard.com