Brenda Invites A Friend To Thanksgiving Dinner
“We’d love to have you!” Mother said, then hung up the phone and looked happily at Brenda.
But Brenda didn’t look happy. “You - you ask everybody,” she said sadly.
“Ask everybody?” Mother smiled. “We always ask Mr. Benson to have Thanksgiving dinner with us.”
Brenda knew that. Mr. Benson worked with Daddy. He lived alone. When Thanksgiving came, Mother and Daddy wanted him to share the day with their family. “I - I know,” she said, still sadly. “But I want to ask -”
“Who, dear?” Mother asked. “Jennifer’s going to her Grandma’s. And isn’t Tammy’s mother having a big Thanksgiving dinner?”
“Maybe Becky!” Brenda said quickly.
“All right, dear, you may invite Becky.”
Brenda ran right outdoors and straight to Becky’s house. It was so good to invite her to Thanksgiving dinner. But it was so bad when Becky said she couldn’t come. “I’m going to my Aunt Mary’s!” she said.
Brenda sighed. Now there was nobody she could invite. Oh, if only there were someone! She walked away sadly. She looked at the trees. A few gold leaves still clung to branches. They always made her smile. Now her face was straight as a poker!
She walked past a leafless lilac bush. She stopped to think. She also heard a soft sound. “What’s - what’s that?” she whispered. She listened hard, and turned her head to one side. She heard it again. Whatever it was, it was coming from the back of the bush!
Brenda’s blue eyes looked quickly, and saw a brown kitten. It was tiny - and looked hungry. It meowed and begged for food.
Quickly, Brenda picked up the kitten. She cuddled it. Suddenly her eyes turned big and bright and happy. “Oh, kitten, I invite you to come to my house for Thanksgiving!”
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Thanksgiving Day, everybody sat around the big dining room table. Not the kitten, though. It was on the back porch lapping milk.
“Your little guest is doing fine,” Mother whispered, passing by with a bowl of cranberries.
Brenda’s head went up and down happily. She was glad and thankful. She had invited a friend to share Thanksgiving dinner, too!
by Clare Miseles: as published in “Sunshine: A Soulful Magazine” (November 1975), Volume 52, Number 11, pages 23 and 24
“We’d love to have you!” Mother said, then hung up the phone and looked happily at Brenda.
But Brenda didn’t look happy. “You - you ask everybody,” she said sadly.
“Ask everybody?” Mother smiled. “We always ask Mr. Benson to have Thanksgiving dinner with us.”
Brenda knew that. Mr. Benson worked with Daddy. He lived alone. When Thanksgiving came, Mother and Daddy wanted him to share the day with their family. “I - I know,” she said, still sadly. “But I want to ask -”
“Who, dear?” Mother asked. “Jennifer’s going to her Grandma’s. And isn’t Tammy’s mother having a big Thanksgiving dinner?”
“Maybe Becky!” Brenda said quickly.
“All right, dear, you may invite Becky.”
Brenda ran right outdoors and straight to Becky’s house. It was so good to invite her to Thanksgiving dinner. But it was so bad when Becky said she couldn’t come. “I’m going to my Aunt Mary’s!” she said.
Brenda sighed. Now there was nobody she could invite. Oh, if only there were someone! She walked away sadly. She looked at the trees. A few gold leaves still clung to branches. They always made her smile. Now her face was straight as a poker!
She walked past a leafless lilac bush. She stopped to think. She also heard a soft sound. “What’s - what’s that?” she whispered. She listened hard, and turned her head to one side. She heard it again. Whatever it was, it was coming from the back of the bush!
Brenda’s blue eyes looked quickly, and saw a brown kitten. It was tiny - and looked hungry. It meowed and begged for food.
Quickly, Brenda picked up the kitten. She cuddled it. Suddenly her eyes turned big and bright and happy. “Oh, kitten, I invite you to come to my house for Thanksgiving!”
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Thanksgiving Day, everybody sat around the big dining room table. Not the kitten, though. It was on the back porch lapping milk.
“Your little guest is doing fine,” Mother whispered, passing by with a bowl of cranberries.
Brenda’s head went up and down happily. She was glad and thankful. She had invited a friend to share Thanksgiving dinner, too!
by Clare Miseles: as published in “Sunshine: A Soulful Magazine” (November 1975), Volume 52, Number 11, pages 23 and 24
