An Unforgettable Thanksgiving

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The date was November 25, 2021, Thanksgiving Day. I was scheduled to work at the hospital. On my way, I was feeling a bit down because I couldn’t spend time with my family. As I entered the hospital and approached the time clock, I heard the patients talking: “Is the hospital staff preparing Thanksgiving dinner for the patients?” I turned around, smiled, wished them a happy Thanksgiving, and kept walking. 

Even though I was wearing a surgical mask, when I walked into the Emergency Department, where I am assigned to work, I immediately smelled pastries, freshly baked bread, baked ham, fried chicken, collard greens cooked in turkey neck bones, baked turkey, pork roast, and the sweet scent of many different flowers. To my big surprise, when I entered the locker room, I saw four or five people unpacking boxes of food onto tables spread with tablecloths that were printed with brightly colored fruits and vegetables. On a corner table stood an extremely large bouquet of flowers. 

The people unpacking the food introduced themselves as church members from the neighborhood. They thanked us for the care and love we had provided the community during the pandemic. I was in tears to know that people cared to this extent.

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''Jane Utendahl, 61 years old, hails from Trinidad and came to the U.S. in 1980. She studies at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Adult Learning Center. The site manager, Winsome Pryce-Cortes, is her teacher. A dedicated health-care worker, Jane Utendahl likes to read and write stories, and her essay “My Favorite Pet” was published in LR18.