The sad truth is: you don't know what you have until its gone,
until you're stripped bare, left to continue life without it.
A big part of my journey thus far has been appreciating.
appreciating the things I've always taken for granted.
appreciating the things I never realized others were without.
my hopes is that by sharing what I've learned to be greatly thankful for you might also.
I hope your eyes are opened to the very blessed life you have been given.
because one thing I've learned is that there are far too many people out there with very difficult lives.,
I am thankful for my family. They love me. And Love is enough. At age eight my parents did not have me working to pay the rent. They did not have me out on the streets begging for money. They supported me. it was not the other way around.
i am thankful for an education. Children all over the world wish for such a thing. They crave knowledge. It was just handed to me on a silver platter, here take this, do this, it is required.
i am thankful for financial stability ( and this runs hand in hand with my family). I have never went hungry. I have never lived in the dark alleyway. I have never gone without clean clothes. I have never thought of selling my body for money. Women and men all over the world are stuck in human trafficking. They need money. They have a family. Once again, I'm thankful my parents never put me there. It may be hard to believe, but parents do force their children into being prostitutes, I have seen it with my own eyes. The most sad thing about it is it isn't surprising, it's almost expected.
i am thankful for water, food, shelter, and medical attention when needed. Water is not always easy to come by. Neither is food. At the end of a dark alley in Malaysia I met a homeless woman. She had just had a baby (who died because of lack of care), her clothes were rags, and in her hand a bag of wood glue for her to snort. That was her life and she had no garanteed water, food, shelter, or medical attention.
and finally, i am thankful for a god that loves me. My god overcomes satan, always. My god doesn't need any works from me. My god wants happiness for me. I have watched countless people dedicate their lives to a god that doesn't care about them. Jesus made the way. He was the sacrifice. We need do nothing but accept him and eternal salvation is ours. He is good, people! I promise.
when people ask where I'm from and I respond "America" their face lights up, their eyes get big, and they are so excited to be talking with me. I didn't get it for the longest time but I think it just clicked. They know how good I have it. They want to hear of the luxurious life I live. you may read this and think luxurious, yeah right. if you have a roof over head, food on your plate, and a high school education..that is luxury to many many people. So pick your head up, dust your shoulders off and spend today really looking at your life. Quit living a life of comparison. I can guarantee you'll always come up short. You'll never have enough, be enough, or do enough. Be thankful for what you do have, whether a little or a lot.
Life is good. try try try to find the good in it. It will make a world of a difference.
