Monday, August 29, 2011

Give Thanks

It's been a long, hot record-setting summer. The Texas Panhandle has seen more triple-digit temperatures this year than any other year as a severe drought continues in this area.

It's been crazy, and we've all complained about the heat. But it could be a lot worse. I read that in Africa nearly 11 million people are facing a hunger crisis, caused by the deadly drought there. It's Africa's worst drought in 60 years. Thousands have died in countries like Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, and many more continue to be at risk.

As dry as it has been here, we can be thankful that we have food and water, and we are not facing famine conditions in our country.

As bad as things seem sometimes, we can still be thankful that things aren't worse. Hurricane Irene did a lot of damage over the weekend. I pray for those who lost loved ones and others whose homes were destroyed. Irene was a terrible storm, but it could have been much worse. If the storm hadn't veered a little to the west when it made landfall near New York City, it could have gone right through the heart of the city. The damage and loss of lives could have been much more widespread than it was.

When bad things happen to us, we should try to look for the good in it. It takes a long time sometimes to find the good in a bad situation, but if we look long enough we can find something to be thankful for.

Last week, my truck was broken into along with several other cars in the parking lot of my apartment complex. The dirty thieves took some change from the ashtray, some papers and, most importantly, the remote that controls the lift for my scooter. It was frustrating to be left without use of my lift, but I was very thankful the thieves didn't rip out the whole control box for the lift. The thieves unplugged and took the remote but left the control box and all the wiring intact. Thank God!

I'm also thankful the repair shop had the remote in stock and I was able to get it so quickly. After a trip to Amarillo to get the new remote, I was back in business.

What are you thankful for? Take some time to count your blessings and give thanks!

No comments:

Post a Comment