Gratitude or Greed
posted in General |In our race to acquire fame, fortune, the most successful husband, the brightest kids, the perfect home … we often find ourselves jealous and resentful. Those of us who are honest with ourselves admit that at some point we have been jealous of others and resentful of what we didn’t have.
So, how do we change that? We start by being grateful for what we do have and how we have been blessed.
A few years back one of my daughters was complaining because she could not have a room of her own. I understood her desire, but I also knew that she needed to appreciate the fact that we had a nice home in a nice neighborhood without having to worry about our basic necessities.
That evening we were watching 60 Minutes. The top story highlighted a school in Arizona that works hard to support the local homeless children. The school provides a bus to pick the kids up at many homeless areas around the community, allows the children to “shop” in the clothes closet, provides two meals a day, and much more. As the children were interviewed about the school and how it had changed their lives one little girl said that she was thankful for all the school did, but the one thing she missed most about being in her home (her family had not always been homeless) was her pillow. She wanted a pillow to sleep on at night.
Wow. That little girl’s reality is a far cry from my daughter wanting her own room.
When I tucked my daughter in bed that night she hugged me, hugged her pillow and said she was thankful for her bed.
What do you have to be thankful for today? Make a list and post it where you can see it. Be reminded of all the ways in which you are blessed.