You might be behind on your rent

You wouldn’t expect one of the greatest quotes about compassion to have come from the mouth of one of the most violent people in U.S. history.

But in 1978, this is what the great — no, The Greatest — Muhammad Ali was quoted as saying in a Time magazine article:

Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.

So, are you current on your rent?

It’s a fair question to ask the day before most of us give thanks in a traditional way. If you find that perhaps you’re just a little late on your rent payment, we offer a humble suggestion.

Serve someone tomorrow. Someone who needs it.

Thanksgiving and its many organized free meals throughout Kootenai County are an easy way for people to donate their time for a few hours to assist others. While that has real value, there’s another way to give; a much more personal way that could make a far greater difference than you might think.

Make a place at your table for someone who could really benefit not just from a fabulous homemade meal, but from a sense of home. This could be a co-worker with nowhere to go tomorrow. It could be a friend from church or a civic club you belong to. It could be a widow or widower who lives next door or down the street, someone you know won’t have an out-of-town vehicle in her or his driveway on Thanksgiving Day. Maybe it’s someone you met while rendering service in a nursing home or assisted living facility.

When you open your door to share your blessings on Thanksgiving, you’re opening your heart, too.

Let’s all go to sleep tomorrow night knowing that for the moment, anyway, our rent is paid in full.