BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – A Bloomington family went out of their way Thursday to remind people they are not alone.
It started with a Facebook message that turned into a real holiday atmosphere.
Dan Lovestrand made a simple offer: “If anyone is alone on Thanksgiving, I’ll cook a turkey. It’s me, my wife and a 5-year-old son. I’m going to drive and get my dad, he’s 86 and quite chronically pissed off. If you If you want to help me cook even better, please let me know.”
“I said, ‘That’s good. That’s very encouraging,'” said Merely Lovestrand, Dan’s wife.
Neither expected the answer.
Hundreds of people responded to the message. Lovestrand says several people who saw the post reached out to him to share their struggles, their loss and their loneliness.
“We lost my mother in November about eight years ago, so this time of year has always been hard for my father and myself,” he said. “I posted because maybe I felt a little bit like that.”
Lovestrand believes that just extending the invitation to 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 they previously had no power over. That simple act of letting someone choose sometimes is enough to bring relief.”
On Thursday, it turned out that only the Lovestrands were at their table, so Dan took the table with him.
In the afternoon he delivered food to about ten people who had sent a message.
“Spend some time and yeah, just try to reduce the suffering, I guess, you know?” Lovestrand said.
He joked that he’s already preparing for a Fourth of July party next year that he’ll be throwing for strangers.
