Attitude of Gratitude

Over the last 2.5+ years of working with International Students, I've learned a lot. We see the commercials asking us to give to "Feed the Children" & generally take the remote & move onto the next channel. Years ago, I would not have guessed that I'd be spending time with individuals from those countries in which money given may be going to "feed the children." We have nearly every kind of eating establishment imaginable within a 30 mile radius of us & yet, how often do we say, "There's nothing to eat." I never thought much about this until visiting Nicaragua in 2009 & saw beggars everywhere. I vividly recall sitting in a marketplace eating when 2 young children approached & just stood beside me at the end of the table. Their eyes fixated on the food on my plate...until, their eyes shifted to look at me. Then, their eyes moved back to the plate. Back & forth. Unfamiliar with such an environment, I asked Haley what was taking place. She then informed me that the children were hungry; they wanted my food. That was not my final time of witnessing such. About a year ago, one of the International Students; a Colombian Student shared that it really bothered him that as he worked in the cafeteria at school; he saw so many students wasting food. They would fill their plates, take a few bites & then throw it all away. He was nearly in tears as he shared with me that in his country, people kill for food. How many of us here in the land of plenty can envision that kind of atrocity? After the accident in Nicaragua in January, Haley's husband's family (brother, cousin & uncle) took off work to help us out. Missing a day of work in Nicaragua is not like missing a day of work here in the U.S. If we don't feel good, we call in. If we have something we'd rather do, we take off work. In a Third-World Country like Nicaragua, they would not dream of missing a days work. For Tio (Uncle), Luis (Jesus' cousin) & Mario (Jesus' brother), their missing work in order to care for us meant that they were sacrificing their own livelihood. As is true of probably many other countries, people who miss a days work could be going without food as they work just to be able to eat. I venture to say, they would dare not ever complain about their wages either. There is not the sense of greed that we as Americans often possess. Why am I talking about this? Many things have been on my mind. By now, everyone knows that within the next few years; my desire is to be overseas. I've begun the application process & got the ball rolling to start that journey. I've been looking around at all I have & thinking that when the time comes for me to leave, I will not have a need for much of which I have. The option to box things up & put things in the basement to sit for years seems pointless. Everyone knows I'm a HUGE Cardinal Baseball Fan. My room decor is a mixture of Cherry Blossoms, photos & Cardinal Memorabilia everywhere. I was recently at a game & received a poster of the 2011 World Championship Team. The "Heather" that saves everything (especially all things Cardinal-related) would have held onto that poster. The "Heather" that realizes there is no need for more "stuff" gave it away. I will soon begin to sell my memorabilia (I'd give it away but the cash I could make off of it would really help me out in paying off some debt, etc.). How I pray that God would continue to show me the importance of those things of lasting value rather than that which is temporary. I recently asked for a raise at my work. At this time, my place of employment is not in the position to give me what I want. I could be mad. I could be angry. I'm not. While I certainly would like a raise (obviously...I asked for one!), some things outweigh the dollar sign. After One Way closed (the company I was loyal to for over 10 years), it took me 7 months to find a job & to get hired on at my current workplace. The economy was rough; just as rough today. I am extremely thankful to have a job period. I have the convenience of working 2 minutes (literally) away from work. I used to go through a tank of gas every week to get to work. I can't imagine doing so with gas prices as they are today! I have great hours that enable me to have nights & Sundays off. Yeah, I may have to work some Saturdays but I work 4.5 hours & really, what do many of us do before noon on a Saturday anyway? No big deal. I am in a place now where I genuinely like those I work with. I'm so blessed to have Christian Men for bosses too. My bosses understand & realize that my long-term goal is not to advance with the company & move up the corporate ladder. They are well aware that I am here until God gets me on the plane. They support me fully. I could not ask for more. I'm thinking.....the next time you want to complain about something, take a minute to think about all you've been given; all you've been bestowed. Then, if you will...please picture the children in Nicaragua running around during school hours. Why are they running around rather than attending school? They can't afford uniforms. No uniforms = no school. No education. When you're done thinking about that, picture those hungry children staring at my plate...feel their starvation. Envision driving down your street seeing people living under trash bags held up by tree limbs. Yes, life like that really does exist. I've seen it with my own eyes. Then, think about the comfy seat you are sitting in as you read this.  Consider the fact that you can monitor the temperature within your home & though you may whine that it's hot; you have the ability to turn the air on. You can turn the heat on when you're freezing cold. You can go to your sink & get a drink of water from the tap. You don't have to walk miles & miles in hopes of getting your thirst quenched only to discover that the well runs dry. I ask you...do you really have it THAT bad? Please forgive me if I hear you whine & my sympathy is lacking. There are others my heart breaks for more & guess what, they don't ask for any sympathy either. They work hard, they love & they just try to do the best they can. They are a content & happy people because their life is not disturbed by those finer things in life that we think we must have. We are never satisfied; always wanting more.