Each time I find reason to complain I think of a million more people that only dream of the blessed life I live and a million more things for which to be thankful.
When I somehow twist the cough I can't get rid of, into a life threatening disease (thank you WebMD), I remember that in reality, there are people with real life threatening diseases. I think of the girl who is in the hospital right now with her family, waiting for the cancer to win. She hasn't done the things in her life she wanted to, she hasn't had time. And her parents? Well, can we even imagine the pain they're going through as they watch their child slip away? You need something to be thankful for? Good health.
When I feel lazy and just want to spend the day in bed, I think of all the people I've met with mental setbacks and special needs. I can walk, talk, and sit. I can stand for 36 straight hours and dance and sing and smile. I can make conversation with other people and not have strangers stare at or away from me. These people can't. It's a struggle to sit up in bed let alone walk across the room. It's a daily burden to face the outside world because the world has a mean tendency to misunderstand and judge. You need something to be thankful for? Legs.
When I complain of being too cold, throw on a sweatshirt and minutes later am complaining about how hot it is, I think of the people who are huddled outside somewhere right now, wishing they had a least one blanket to fight the cold of teh falling rainand snow. I think of these people holding onto the hope that the next stranger to pass will be the first Good Samaritan out of maybe a hundred and give them a means for something warmer or just acknowledge their presence, their humanity. And here I am sitting on a sheet, comforter, and a snuggie inside a house that protects me from the cold, rain, snow and any other dangers that have no reason to even cross my mind. You need something to be thankful for? A full closet.
When I get frustrated that none of my shoes match my outfit, I think of the kids who don't have shoes. The kids who walk to get their water and put in more miles to get there than the number of cups they'll drink in the end. I think of the mangled and pain ridden feet who continue to walk to get some water, however unclean, to take care of someone else. The number of shoes I have ever owned does not remotely compjare with the number of bare fee in our region of the country alone, and I've owned a lot of shoes. Now think globally the number of bare feet... Need something to be thankful for? Shoes and water.
When I get annoyed that my brother talks too loud or my parents misunderstand me, I think of the kids who don't have families to call their own. Kids who are placed in stranger's homes for a month only to get moved again for the fifth time this year; little girls and boys who don't know a soul because their parents are gone and their siblings were separated from them in the system. Who knows if they'll ever be seen again. What do you think these kids are doing this holiday season? Certainly not playing a mad game of Mexican Train or Scrabble and not decorating the Christmas tree with the family. Any rich family tradition is lost in the hope for simply that, a family. Need something to be thankful for? Mom and dad.
Now I am a very, very blessed person. I have been given many things, many if not most of which I do not deserve. I live a happy, healthy, well-rounded life and there is nothing I truly need that I can't get if I don't already have it. I have a tendency to overlook struggles I do not have and be ignorant of struggles I will never face. Maybe this isn't the same for you but likely there are similarities. The fact that you are reading this right now means you have a livings pace with a computer, you have eyes, and among other things you have a brain to allow you to process my thoughts here.
I could not begin to express everything for which I am thankful. There are far too many things and I fear I would overlook some important ones. I will say I am thankful for a loving God and freedom to practice my beliefs and religion without fear, I am thankful for all my family, and I am thankful for all my friends. And if you're looking for something to be thankful for today, remember your legs. Be thankful for your legs.
When I somehow twist the cough I can't get rid of, into a life threatening disease (thank you WebMD), I remember that in reality, there are people with real life threatening diseases. I think of the girl who is in the hospital right now with her family, waiting for the cancer to win. She hasn't done the things in her life she wanted to, she hasn't had time. And her parents? Well, can we even imagine the pain they're going through as they watch their child slip away? You need something to be thankful for? Good health.
When I feel lazy and just want to spend the day in bed, I think of all the people I've met with mental setbacks and special needs. I can walk, talk, and sit. I can stand for 36 straight hours and dance and sing and smile. I can make conversation with other people and not have strangers stare at or away from me. These people can't. It's a struggle to sit up in bed let alone walk across the room. It's a daily burden to face the outside world because the world has a mean tendency to misunderstand and judge. You need something to be thankful for? Legs.
When I complain of being too cold, throw on a sweatshirt and minutes later am complaining about how hot it is, I think of the people who are huddled outside somewhere right now, wishing they had a least one blanket to fight the cold of teh falling rainand snow. I think of these people holding onto the hope that the next stranger to pass will be the first Good Samaritan out of maybe a hundred and give them a means for something warmer or just acknowledge their presence, their humanity. And here I am sitting on a sheet, comforter, and a snuggie inside a house that protects me from the cold, rain, snow and any other dangers that have no reason to even cross my mind. You need something to be thankful for? A full closet.
When I get frustrated that none of my shoes match my outfit, I think of the kids who don't have shoes. The kids who walk to get their water and put in more miles to get there than the number of cups they'll drink in the end. I think of the mangled and pain ridden feet who continue to walk to get some water, however unclean, to take care of someone else. The number of shoes I have ever owned does not remotely compjare with the number of bare fee in our region of the country alone, and I've owned a lot of shoes. Now think globally the number of bare feet... Need something to be thankful for? Shoes and water.
When I get annoyed that my brother talks too loud or my parents misunderstand me, I think of the kids who don't have families to call their own. Kids who are placed in stranger's homes for a month only to get moved again for the fifth time this year; little girls and boys who don't know a soul because their parents are gone and their siblings were separated from them in the system. Who knows if they'll ever be seen again. What do you think these kids are doing this holiday season? Certainly not playing a mad game of Mexican Train or Scrabble and not decorating the Christmas tree with the family. Any rich family tradition is lost in the hope for simply that, a family. Need something to be thankful for? Mom and dad.
Now I am a very, very blessed person. I have been given many things, many if not most of which I do not deserve. I live a happy, healthy, well-rounded life and there is nothing I truly need that I can't get if I don't already have it. I have a tendency to overlook struggles I do not have and be ignorant of struggles I will never face. Maybe this isn't the same for you but likely there are similarities. The fact that you are reading this right now means you have a livings pace with a computer, you have eyes, and among other things you have a brain to allow you to process my thoughts here.
I could not begin to express everything for which I am thankful. There are far too many things and I fear I would overlook some important ones. I will say I am thankful for a loving God and freedom to practice my beliefs and religion without fear, I am thankful for all my family, and I am thankful for all my friends. And if you're looking for something to be thankful for today, remember your legs. Be thankful for your legs.
God Bless,
Lauren
