GIVING THANKS FOR A CHEERFUL GIVER
On Thanksgiving Day in 1918, seventeen days after the Armistice was signed, President Woodrow Wilson issued Proclamation 1496. The opening lines declared: “It has long been our custom to turn in the autumn of the year in praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God for His many blessings and mercies to us as a nation. This year we have special and moving cause to be grateful and to rejoice.”
On Thanksgiving Day in 1918, a baby girl was born in South Fulton, Kentucky. Hattie Lou Stubblefield’s birth was indeed “a special and moving cause to be grateful” for her parents and three older brothers amid the influenza pandemic. Hattie Lou’s life continues to be a “special and moving cause to be grateful” for me, her eldest granddaughter.
Every year as Thanksgiving approaches, memories of “Mutt” (the nickname used by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren) bubble up, and not just because of her birthday. In 2000, the year Mutt turned 82, she organized the first “Feeding of the 5,000” in Union City, Tennessee, two days before Thanksgiving.
Originally envisioned as a communal Thanksgiving meal, the Feeding of the 5,000 was held in the Fellowship Hall of my grandmother’s church. A plate laden with turkey and dressing casserole, side dishes, and a homemade dessert was available for anyone who needed a hot, holiday meal.
In subsequent years, the event evolved and expanded. Takeout boxes were offered to meet the needs of those who preferred to dine at home. Volunteers began delivering meals from the church to their homebound neighbors. A food drive was added to stock the pantries of local non-profits. Grocery bags were filled with non-perishables and distributed to guests at the communal meal. The Feeding of the 5,000 was not hyperbole.
A flyer promoting the annual event listed the following needs:
625 pies without meringue
300 gallons of dressing
100 gallons of giblet gravy
200 gallons of cooked apples
200 gallons of cooked green beans
50 gallons of cranberry sauce
300 cooked turkeys
rolls
Over a decade after launching the Feeding of the 5,000, my grandmother continued to be an active force in its organization and implementation. During the week of Thanksgiving, a photo of her inevitably appeared on the front page of the local newspaper, accompanying an article about the event.
After my grandmother died a few months shy of her 99th birthday, a staff reporter penned a tribute that referenced Mutt’s work with the annual community endeavor. The column began: “She was one of a kind. And she was one of the kindest women I knew. Hattie Lou Brown was the epitome of the Proverbs 31 woman.”
Mutt would have laughed heartily if she had seen those words in print. Then again, she laughed heartily most days. She was indeed kind - the love of Christ compelled her to love her neighbors in tangible ways. Whenever my grandmother became aware of a need, she sought to meet it. Sometimes she did so discretely on her own, like the time she learned about a child who lacked a winter coat. When the needs were greater, she did not hesitate to rally others to help. Mutt was a cheerful giver, an energetic servant, and an enthusiastic recruiter.
My grandmother is my model for pastoral ministry. Although she was not a pastor, she faithfully ministered to people throughout her life. As a florist in a rural community, she had regular opportunities to accompany people during moments of great joy (weddings) and great grief (funerals). When she reluctantly retired after four decades, she knew the needs of her community better than any minister in town.
I learned how to love God and my neighbor by watching my grandmother serve others with Christlike compassion. I learned how to identify community needs, recruit volunteers, and gather resources by witnessing her at work. Will I have the spiritual sensitivity, physical energy, and mental creativity needed to launch a new ministry to meet a community need when I’m 82? I certainly hope so.
This year, my grandmother’s birthday and Thanksgiving coincide, just as they did on the day of her birth. Her presence will be palpable when the extended Brown family gathers; her laughter will echo in ours. The Brown family always has a special and moving cause to be grateful, and her name is Hattie Lou.
