holiday advice for single dads

https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/advice-for-divorced-dads-over-the-holidays-102985880598.html

https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/the-unintended-effects-of-divorce-on-kids-103483542077.html
 

Thanksgiving starts with gratitude

It was 1979. Brenda was a single mom with a precious 4 yr old boy and a sweet 6 yr old little girl. She did not meet the income required to rent an apartment. She did not have the income to meet basic expenses on her minimum wage job. Relatives were nonexistent, non-involved in helping her survive the trauma of being shamelessly abandoned. Food banks, Shelters, Soup kitchens were not in existence and there was still a rancid stigma for single mothers in the churches.

She would eat AFTER the children which consisted of a single can of chicken noodle soup per day watered down and a prayer that her son would make it (live) to the free lunch program when he was ready for school.

The furnace would only be at a level to keep from freezing and keeping the black mold and utility company at bay. Cardboard was used in shoes to plug holes. There was the constant struggle and anguish to put the children in foster care, just to get them fed and out of survival stress for a period. Just one more day Lord. Just one more day. We don’t have enough to live and too much to die. If you are a good God, please take us and end this destitute existence.

Thanksgiving. Brenda had a total of $2.00 to celebrate Thanksgiving with dignity. Dignity was a Cornish game hen that she explained to the children as being a baby turkey and two potatoes. She could not muster the imagination to explain the lack of fixings, the pie, the dinner rolls, without the pain in her heart of being a failure and being failed.

Today, Brenda, and many women who were brave enough to connect with Call Mom are successful professionals lending a hand (not a handout) to families in need and doing what they wish somebody would have done for them and especially the children.

Thank you ladies for your perseverance, your humility, your generosity, your grace, and your empathy.

8 Tips for Surviving Holidays Without Your Kids

From Jennifer Wolf In just over a week, we'll gather around the table and celebrate Thanksgiving with our families. May it be just the beginning of a wonderful holiday season for you and yours! Meanwhile, use the  tips included in this week's newsletter to get a handle on the holiday stress, take care of yourself, and more.

Creative Ways to Make Small Holiday Dinner Celebrations Fun Planning to stay home for Thanksgiving this year? Use these tips to make small holiday dinners fun -- even when it's just you and the kids. Search Related Topics:  holiday dinners  surviving the holidays

Manage Your Holiday Stress Holiday stress can be overwhelming, especially for newly single parents. Use these to make the entire season a little more enjoyable this year. Search Related Topics:  holidays  holiday blues  visitation rights

30 Ways to Take Care of Yourself as a Single Parent Single parent burnout steals the joy of raising your children. Fight back by tending to your own needs with these quick & easy self-care strategies. Search Related Topics:  self-care ideas  taking care of yourself  healthy habits

Veterans honoring Veterans

 

Loving the flag

Loving the Country

Honoring the Veterans

and their families

for heroic sacrifices

 

Thank You and God bless

Austin, TX Health Services for the underserved

https://www.austinpcc.org/patient-services/

Holiday Meals for Military

Dec15

Fort Carson, CO

Location:Fort Carson, CO

Time:10:00am to 3:00pm

Contact:Nina.Nevins@operationhomefront.net

Registration required: Click here to register.

Details:The added expense of the holiday season can be challenging for military families. We at Operation Homefront recognize that many military families are separated during this time due to deployments and others travel long distances to be together. Holiday Meals for Military is Operation Homefront’s way of saying Thank you for your service and sacrifices that you have made for our country!  
Register for a time slot to pick up all the fixings for a traditional holiday meal, plus a few surprise extras. All items are non-perishable. Your military ID and confirmation will be required to pick up.  Sorry, neighbors and friends cannot pick up on your behalf, so please plan accordingly.

Military - Operation Homefront (resource)

http://www.operationhomefront.net/howwehelp

TEXAS, HEB free Thanksgiving dinners

Just one Feast of Sharing event equals:

• 3,000 pounds of sliced turkey
• 2,500 pounds of cornbread dressing
• 750 pumpkin pies
• 380 gallons of mashed potatoes
• 140 gallons of turkey gravy
• 95 gallons of cranberry sauce
• Stop by the Feast of Sharing as it visits the following cities:

 

City	Location	Date	Time
Abilene	Abilene Civic Center 1100 N. 6th St.	Dec 9, 2014	4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Austin	Palmer Events Center 900 Barton Springs Rd.	Nov 25, 2014	4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Brownsvl	Jacob Brown Auditorium 600 International Blvd.	Nov 19, 2014	11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Corpus Christi	The American Bank Convention Center 1901 N. Shoreline	Dec 24, 2014	11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Del Rio	Del Rio Civic Center 1915 Ave. F	Nov 15, 2014	11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Eagle Pass	International Center for Trade 3295 Bob Rogers Drive	Nov 23, 2014	11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Harlingen	Harlingen Community Center 221 E. Madison	Nov 21, 2014	11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Killeen	Killeen Convention Center 3601 S. W S Young Dr.	Dec 16, 2014	4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Laredo	Laredo Energy Arena 6700 Arena Blvd	Nov 8, 2014	11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
McAllen	McAllen Convention Center 700 Convention Center Blvd.	Nov 16, 2014	2 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Midland	The Horseshoe Arena 202 Cotton Flat Rd.	Nov 7, 2014	4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Odessa	Ector County Coliseum 4201 Andrews Hwy, Building D&E	Dec 5, 2014	4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Port Isabel	Port Isabel High School 1800 Texas Hwy 100	Nov 12, 2014	6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Rio Grande City	Fort Ringgold Elementary 1 Fort Ringgold St.	Dec 4, 2014	6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
San Angelo	Wells Fargo Pavilion 50 E. 43rd St.	Nov 9, 2014	11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
San Antonio	Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center Exhibit Halls A&B 200 N. Market	Dec 20, 2014	11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Temple	Mayborn Convention Center 3303 North 3rd St.	Dec 4, 2014	4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Victoria	Victoria Civic Center 2905 E. North	Dec 18, 2014	3 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Waco	ExtraCo Events Center 4601 Bosque Blvd.	Dec 11, 2014	4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Weslaco	St. Joan of Arc Parish 200 S. Illinois	Dec 13, 2014	11 a.m. - 3 p.m.