Alone on Thanksgiving

 
No, not me. God has graced me with family and many friends, and I have received multiple invitations to come over for Thanksgiving. Not me–God must know I am too weak to bear such heavy crosses and has blessed me beyond what I deserve with loved ones.
 
But today on my way to the Kress’ house after work, I pulled into a gas station and started filling my tank when the man getting gas next to me said hi. I greeted him and asked him if he had any Thanksgiving plans.
 
He said he imagined he would go fishing at one of the local lakes.
I asked if he was going to fish with his friends or family.
He said no, he had no family around here, and that he was going to be alone.
 
I told him I was sorry for that, and he said he was used to it, having been on his own for a long time. He was dressed in painter’s garb, and when I asked him if he was a painter, he said yes. Part of me wanted to invite him over for Thanksgiving, but I myself am going to be a guest at others’ houses, and I didn’t feel it was right to invite someone else over and presume on their generosity.
 
I heard him mention something about God when he talked–nothing direct but something that was a reference like, “the Lord willing”, so when I said goodbye to him I said, “God bless you”, and he replied, “God bless you, too”.
  
I asked St. Joseph to pray for him, but it saddened me to think that here was a lonely man with no friends or family to speak of planning on spending Thanksgiving by himself on a boat fishing.
 
“Lord, I pray you will join him and spend all day with him tomorrow and give him faith that you are there.”