{"id":20386,"date":"2026-03-11T09:17:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T09:17:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:09:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:09:56","slug":"this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/","title":{"rendered":"This Family Gives Thanks by Giving Back"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Thanksgiving this year, my family is going to serve 2,600 pounds of turkey, 2,200 pounds of mashed potatoes and 150 gallons of gravy. That\u2019s a lot of food, I know. Then again, we\u2019re expecting 6,000 guests. That\u2019s because we\u2019ll be volunteering at the Twin Ports Region Thanksgiving Buffet here in Duluth, Minnesota.<\/p>\n

Sponsored by the College of St. Scholastica, it\u2019s a feast open to anyone in need of a warm meal and an even warmer community. For me, it\u2019s become a family affair, with my kids and their aunts, uncles, cousins\u201418 of us all together\u2014pitching in. Enough to staff an entire banquet on our own.<\/p>\n

You might wonder why this is our Thanksgiving tradition. Well, it all started one November 12 years ago when I didn\u2019t feel like there was anything to be celebrating, let alone be grateful for.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: FALLING BACK ON FAMILY<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

My husband had left me that summer, our marriage of 15 years and our home broken. I felt broken myself. I wasn\u2019t sure I knew what it meant to be a family anymore.<\/p>\n

I definitely wasn\u2019t excited about Thanksgiving dinner. My sister, Wanda, had offered to host our big family celebration at her place in Hibbing, an hour and a half away, but I said no. We\u2019d always had Thanksgiving at my house. I wanted\u2014needed\u2014to preserve some sense of normalcy for my children.<\/p>\n

Dom was 10. Mia was 5. They seemed so fragile. Every night before their bedtime prayers, I would hug them and tell them I loved them. That their dad loved them. That most of all, God loved them and was watching over them. Then we\u2019d take turns saying something positive about our day. A moment at work. A compliment from Dom\u2019s hockey coach. A friend\u2019s puppy that Mia played with. I wanted them to have something good to hang on to every day.<\/p>\n

But it wasn\u2019t nearly enough to make them feel secure again after the divorce had shaken their world.<\/p>\n

Mia, especially. She couldn\u2019t fully grasp that her daddy wasn\u2019t coming back to live with us. She\u2019d grown fearful since he left, skittish around people she didn\u2019t know well, afraid of the dark. \u201cI\u2019m scared,\u201d I overheard her tell Dom one day. \u201cOf what?\u201d he asked, ready to be the big brother and protect her. Her answer broke my heart: \u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dom tried his best to be the man of the house. If a light burned out he was right there to change it. When the knob to the front door fell off, he insisted he could fix it. I wanted to encourage him so I let him. An hour later, he proclaimed the job finished. But somehow he\u2019d managed to lock the door from the inside. There was no way to get out. He was crestfallen.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: A REMINDER TO FOCUS ON FAMILY<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Thank goodness Dom had hockey. He threw himself into the sport like never before. And into his schoolwork. But in his own way I knew he was hurting as deeply as Mia. It felt as if he\u2019d grown up five years in five months.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t have anyone who really understood what I was going through. No one I knew was divorced. My siblings were doing everything they could to help, and they were probably tired of hearing about my struggles. I talked to my sister often, but she couldn\u2019t be on call for me 24 hours a day\u2014she was busy with her own kids and her job as a teacher. My brother, Mike, and my brother-in-law, Jeff, stepped up and took Dom and Mia fishing and camping.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d started going to counseling to learn how to support my kids emotionally, how to get my confidence back. \u201cIt takes time to heal from divorce,\u201d my counselor told me. \u201cTry to get involved in some sort of outside activity. Volunteer. Help yourself by helping others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Between the kids and my job\u2014I was a district manager for a food-distribution company\u2014I barely had a minute to spare. I didn\u2019t have time or energy for volunteer work.<\/p>\n

A few days before Thanksgiving, I called Wanda. We chatted for a bit. Then she asked about the kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m worried about them,\u201d I said. \u201cI feel like they\u2019re not getting to live a normal life. This is so hard on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a long moment there was only silence.<\/p>\n

Finally Wanda said, \u201cJean, do you understand how blessed your kids are? They have a mother who loves them and has a good job so she can take care of them. They have more than enough at every meal, a comfortable house, warm beds to sleep in. You should see the problems some of the kids in my classroom have to deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE: THE FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t the first time she\u2019d mentioned this, but never so directly.<\/p>\n

The next day in the newspaper I came across an article on the Twin Ports Region Thanksgiving Buffet. It was open to anyone in the community, particularly those in need. Through my job, I knew a man who was involved in putting the dinner together. With my sister\u2019s admonishment and my counselor\u2019s advice ringing in my ears, I called him and asked if there was a way my kids and I could help.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can always use servers. We\u2019ll see you at the convention center a little before eleven.\u201d<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t sure what my kids would think. We\u2019d never done anything like this before. But they sounded excited.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really going to pass out the food?\u201d Mia asked. \u201cBy myself? Cool!\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanksgiving morning at the convention center, we were each assigned chef\u2019s hats and spots in the serving line. Mia stood behind a giant serving dish of corn. Dom had the wild rice. I was responsible for the mashed potatoes.<\/p>\n

I kept checking on the kids at first. Was Mia nervous being around so many strangers? Was she able to reach people\u2019s trays? Would she get tired? Our shift was from 11:00 to 12:30, a long time for a five-year-old. Yet Mia never once looked to me. She only had eyes for each person stopping in front of her, as if serving them was the most important responsibility of her young life.<\/p>\n

Dom was even more deliberate than Mia. He made sure each guest got a healthy serving of wild rice, carefully ladled onto their plate. He was totally dialed in, as if this were a hockey game that had gone into overtime.<\/p>\n

As the crowd snaked past, I began to focus more on the guests in front of me. It was clear from the way some of the people shuffled by, their eyes downcast, that they were struggling. But when they saw Mia and Dom, surprise, then delight, spread across their faces. Their spirits seemed to lift.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, thank you, little lady,\u201d people would say. \u201cThat looks delicious, young man. Have a happy Thanksgiving.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE: AN ENCOUNTER WITH WELL-TENDED HOPE<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Mia glowed. \u201cI hope you like the food,\u201d she sang out. \u201cThat\u2019s my brother. And my mommy. We wanted to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dom nodded at the guests. \u201cHappy Thanksgiving to you too, sir, ma\u2019am,\u201d he said to them. It had been months since I\u2019d seen such a proud look on his face.<\/p>\n

A guest paused in front of me\u2014a woman with two children not much older than my own. Their coats were threadbare, and from the way the kids\u2019 eyes widened, I knew it had been a while since they\u2019d had such a big meal. Yet there was a quiet strength about this young mother. \u201cThank you,\u201d she said. \u201cGod bless you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He already has, <\/em>I thought, looking at my son and daughter. They were going to be okay. The three of us were finding our way as a family. I\u2019d never felt so grateful, so cared for, so blessed.<\/p>\n

At the end of our shift, I hugged my kids close and told them how proud I was of them. \u201cCan we do this again next year?\u201d Mia and Dom asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cCount on it,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: CREATIVE PATCHWORK<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

That evening, my sister and brother and their families came over for our Thanksgiving dinner. We told them about our day. \u201cWow!\u201d my brother said. \u201cThat sounds like a great way to celebrate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The following year, Mia, Dom and I again volunteered at the Thanksgiving buffet. And the year after that. Mia even wrote about it in second grade, for an essay on her favorite holiday. \u201cI like being with my family,\u201d she wrote, \u201cand seeing people smile. It\u2019s the best feeling ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

By then, my brother\u2019s and sister\u2019s families\u2014the Fumias, the Boettchers and the Cimermancics\u2014had joined us. This year 18 of us will be serving dinner, filling water glasses, busing tables, sitting and talking to our guests, learning about their lives. I can\u2019t think of a better way for us to spend Thanksgiving. Being together, bringing good food to people\u2019s plates and smiles to their faces…as Mia said, it\u2019s the best, most blessed feeling ever. <\/p>\n

Did you enjoy this story? Subscribe to <\/em>Guideposts<\/strong><\/a> magazine<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Thanksgiving this year, my family is going to serve 2,600 pounds of turkey, 2,200 pounds of mashed potatoes and 150 gallons of gravy. That\u2019s a lot of food, I know. Then again, we\u2019re expecting 6,000 guests. That\u2019s because we\u2019ll be volunteering at the Twin Ports Region Thanksgiving Buffet here in Duluth, Minnesota. Sponsored by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28862,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[259],"tags":[25,21,81],"ppma_author":[1279],"class_list":["post-20386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family-problems","tag-family","tag-kindness","tag-thanksgiving"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThis Family Gives Thanks by Giving Back - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This Family Gives Thanks by Giving Back\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For Thanksgiving this year, my family is going to serve 2,600 pounds of turkey, 2,200 pounds of mashed potatoes and 150 gallons of gravy. That\u2019s a lot of food, I know. Then again, we\u2019re expecting 6,000 guests. That\u2019s because we\u2019ll be volunteering at the Twin Ports Region Thanksgiving Buffet here in Duluth, Minnesota. Sponsored by […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Guideposts Articles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-11T09:17:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-10T06:09:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/articles.guideposts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/toninato_marquee-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"550\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jean Toninato\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/family-problems\\\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/family-problems\\\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Neeraj Rai\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f0862e0bfb5f72f571ea4d005001f0be\"},\"headline\":\"This Family Gives Thanks by Giving Back\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-11T09:17:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-10T06:09:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/family-problems\\\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1572,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/family-problems\\\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/toninato_marquee-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Family\",\"Kindness\",\"Thanksgiving\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Family Problems\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/family-problems\\\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/family-problems\\\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\\\/\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/family-problems\\\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\\\/\",\"name\":\"This Family Gives Thanks by Giving Back - Guideposts Articles\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/family-problems\\\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/family-problems\\\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/toninato_marquee-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-11T09:17:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-10T06:09:56+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/family-problems\\\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/family-problems\\\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/family-problems\\\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/toninato_marquee-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/toninato_marquee-1.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":550},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/family-problems\\\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Positive Living\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Friends and Family\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Family\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Family Problems\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/family-problems\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":6,\"name\":\"This Family Gives Thanks by Giving Back\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\",\"name\":\"Guideposts Articles\",\"description\":\"Strengthening Faith. Providing Hope.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Guideposts Articles\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/gp-logo-white.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/gp-logo-white.svg\",\"caption\":\"Guideposts Articles\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f0862e0bfb5f72f571ea4d005001f0be\",\"name\":\"Neeraj Rai\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=gc7d9b87677b7a32d038be4d79f46df21\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Neeraj Rai\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/author\\\/neeraj\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"This Family Gives Thanks by Giving Back - Guideposts Articles","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"This Family Gives Thanks by Giving Back","og_description":"For Thanksgiving this year, my family is going to serve 2,600 pounds of turkey, 2,200 pounds of mashed potatoes and 150 gallons of gravy. That\u2019s a lot of food, I know. Then again, we\u2019re expecting 6,000 guests. That\u2019s because we\u2019ll be volunteering at the Twin Ports Region Thanksgiving Buffet here in Duluth, Minnesota. Sponsored by […]","og_url":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/","og_site_name":"Guideposts Articles","article_published_time":"2026-03-11T09:17:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-10T06:09:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":550,"url":"http:\/\/articles.guideposts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/toninato_marquee-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jean Toninato","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/"},"author":{"name":"Neeraj Rai","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/f0862e0bfb5f72f571ea4d005001f0be"},"headline":"This Family Gives Thanks by Giving Back","datePublished":"2026-03-11T09:17:20+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-10T06:09:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/"},"wordCount":1572,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/toninato_marquee-1.jpg","keywords":["Family","Kindness","Thanksgiving"],"articleSection":["Family Problems"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/","url":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/","name":"This Family Gives Thanks by Giving Back - Guideposts Articles","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/toninato_marquee-1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-11T09:17:20+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-10T06:09:56+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/toninato_marquee-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/toninato_marquee-1.jpg","width":900,"height":550},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/this-family-gives-thanks-by-giving-back\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Positive Living","item":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Friends and Family","item":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Family","item":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Family Problems","item":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/family-problems\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":6,"name":"This Family Gives Thanks by Giving Back"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/","name":"Guideposts Articles","description":"Strengthening Faith. Providing Hope.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization","name":"Guideposts Articles","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gp-logo-white.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gp-logo-white.svg","caption":"Guideposts Articles"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/f0862e0bfb5f72f571ea4d005001f0be","name":"Neeraj Rai","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=gc7d9b87677b7a32d038be4d79f46df21","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","caption":"Neeraj Rai"},"url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/author\/neeraj\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":1279,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"jean-toninato","display_name":"Jean Toninato","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20386"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20386\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20386"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=20386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}