A Bloomington family's social media post shares Thanksgiving spirit with others
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — A Bloomington family went out of their way Thursday to remind people they're not alone.
It started with a Facebook post that spilled out into real-world holiday spirit.
Dan Lovestrand made a simple offer: "If anyone is alone on Thanksgiving, I am cooking a turkey. It will be me, my wife and 5 yr old boy. I am going to drive and get my dad, he is 86 and kinda chronically pissed off. If you want to join us let me know. If you want to help cook even better."
"I said, 'That's good. That's very encouraging,'" said Merely Lovestrand, Dan's wife.
Neither of them expected the response.
Hundreds of people reacted to the post. Lovestrand says several people who saw the post reached out to him to share their struggles, their loss, their loneliness.
"We lost my mom in November about eight years ago and so this time of year has always been tough for my dad and myself," he said. "I was posting because maybe I was feeling that way a little bit."
Lovestrand believes just extending the invitation into his home can make all the difference.
"Now it's a choice, and so...they're not alone because they're forced to be alone," he said. "Now you've given them a little bit of power over a situation that they had no power before. That simple act of letting somebody choose sometimes is enough to bring relief."
It turned out only the Lovestrands sat at their table Thursday, so Dan took the table with him.
He delivered food during the afternoon to about 10 people who had messaged.
"Spend a little time and yeah, just try to reduce suffering I guess, you know?" Lovestrand said.
He joked that he's already preparing for a Fourth of July party next year he's throwing for strangers.