A Thanksgiving Reflection on Giving What You Can

A few days before Thanksgiving, I spent part of my afternoon at a mobile blood donation bus here in Sarasota. I donate blood regularly, and it was time for my next appointment.

I signed up for a red cell apheresis procedure, which collects concentrated red cells and returns plasma and platelets back to the body. It takes longer than a standard donation and counts as two pints. While I sat there with the machine humming beside me, I found myself thinking about how ordinary the moment was, yet how important the outcome might be for someone else.

Mark Edgington outside of a blood donation bus

It is easy to forget that blood donation is one of the few things you can give that cannot be manufactured or replaced by anything other than another person’s willingness. Someone who needs those red cells will never know where they came from. They will never know my name. They will only know that help arrived when it mattered.

Stepping out of the bus afterward, I felt grateful that I am healthy enough to donate. I have the time to do it. That is not something every person can say. Recognizing that made me think differently about this week and about the holiday that anchors it.

Thanksgiving is a day for gratitude, but I have come to believe that gratitude is most meaningful when it moves into action. It does not always look large or visible. Sometimes it looks like a steady habit of giving back in ways that fit your life. Picking up trash on a beach. Donating blood. Supporting a neighbor.

These small acts do not solve everything, but they make a real difference to the people who receive them. A two pint donation seems simple on the surface, yet it can support patients who are recovering from surgery, managing chronic illness, or facing an unexpected emergency. For them, it is not small at all.

Wherever today finds you, I hope you have a moment to appreciate what you have. I hope you also find a way, however modest, to pass something forward.

Happy Thanksgiving.

— Mark Edgington

This article also appears on Mark Edgington – Medium, where you can learn more about Mark Edgington’s ongoing work.