My Top Ten Things to Be Grateful For - 2009

It’s almost Thanksgiving – that one time of the year that we take time to be thankful – we plan a whole day for it, actually, but let’s be honest! Most of us spend more time in front of the television or the stove! But since we have a few more days to consider how fortunate we are, I’d like to throw my “Top Things to Be Thankful For” into the mix! Here is what I’m thankful for this year!

l. Water. It was Mark Twain who once said “Whiskey is for drinking. Water is for fighting over.” We Americans take our access to water and its plentitude for granted – but all that may change – and perhaps in our very own lifetimes. I recently learned that if the cure for AIDS was one 8 oz glass of clean water every day for every person infected with the disease – we couldn’t cure AIDS – we don’t have enough clean, fresh water in the world to meet that need. Shocking! It is predicted that the next world war will not be over oil – it will be
about water. So be thankful for water -- think and pray about water – try to conserve it as much as possible.

2. Food: We live in a country of unbelievable abundance. A trip to a market in Europe will reduce your choices of breakfast cereals about 85%. If you don’t like Wheatabix – well you’re pretty much out of luck. Seventeen children die of hunger every MINUTE in the worl. On Thanksgiving Thursday we will waste
more food than most of the people of the world will see in a month. Pray about food –its use and abuse and for those who may die because of the lack of it. Think about giving a donation of time or money to a local food bank!

3. Healthcare: – On this Thanksgiving, I’m thankful even with various aches and pains that I can walk; I can see; I can think and if for some reason I become incapacitated, I have within my grasp some of the best medical minds in the world – I have access to health care. It means that if my knees give out, I can replace them – if my eyes go bad I can have surgery to correct them. Within our own country there are men, women and children who do not have that luxury. Ten dollars per child is all it takes to immunize a child from all the diseases that American children routinely are immunized against – but the world cannot seem to raise that kind of money – guess we’re too busy buying Big Macs!

4. Employment- In Haiti the unemployment rate is 85%. In the U. S. it’s about 10% depending on where you live – and it’s the worst it’s been in about 23 years -- and we’re very upset about that. Have you thought about how lucky you are to have a job? Not the job you want? – well, in this country you have opportunity. In many places of the world your job is dependent on your family – if your father was a plumber – you can expect to be a plumber -- to do something else would be unthinkable. That may be OK if you WANT to be a plumber – but consider how many opportunities we have and don’t have to consider our parent’s occupations. So this Thanksgiving, pray for your work, your retirement and all your sources of income. So this Thanksgiving, pray for your work, your retirement and all your sources of income.

5. I’m thankful that I’m an American Woman: In many places in the world women are not allowed to drive a car – or shop in a store without a male escort. They can hold jobs – but only certain jobs… like teachers, nurses and childcare workers. They are forbidden to supervise men and their wages are a sharp contrast to their male counterparts. In many places in the world a woman can be fired from her job if a man applies for it – that’s all it takes – one male applicant and you lose your source of income. I’m thankful to be a woman in the time and place in which I live. Could it be better? Of course! But I’m grateful for what I have.

6. I’m grateful that I live where I am free to make my own decisions. I met a woman this week at a formal dinner who was wearing a beautiful white caftan – when she was asked where she bought it she said that she had recently been in Kuwait meeting with women about their rights– where the women must wear black caftans, veils and headscarves whenever they are in public. The men wear white caftans that are much cooler. My friend suggested to the women she was meeting that she would like one of those lovely WHITE caftans – and the Kuwaiti women were aghast!! A woman cannot buy men’s clothes in Kuwait! – they cannot go into a men’s store. As she was preparing to leave Kuwait the women presented her with a gift of a white caftan – one of the women had sent her brother, who is about the same size as my acquaintance – because you see, in Kuwait a man who was buying clothes for a man other than himself would also come under suspicion. Be grateful for your liberty!

7. Friends and Family- Sometimes we take the people that we love for granted the most. I talked recently to a man whose wife died and he said, “I wish now that I had told her more how much I loved her”. So often we say, “if only I had done this or that”. The saddest words in all the world are “if only”. Tell someone today how much you care for and love them. Thank God for these important people in your life.

8. I’m thankful that I can stand up for what is right – and that I can make a difference if I choose to act on my values and beliefs. I can volunteer, I can write to my representatives in Congress or the Senate. I can vote and I can spend my time and my money to make the world a better place to live. I have a voice, if I choose to use it. I can stand up – or sit in – or petition or write a letter. I have power if I choose to use it – and use it, I should!

9- I would be terribly remiss if I wasn’t thankful for the children in my life – the littlest ones and the ones who are nearing adulthood– because they give me great joy and help me to see the world through their eyes.

9. I am incredibly grateful that time moves forward – that just when we begin to believe that humanity has all the right answers, we find out how truly off base we were. I’m grateful that most of the time, we’re wrong! There were those who claimed that women would never have the vote in the United States – that women could never serve in ministry, that African-Americans were not equal to Caucasians in intelligence or logic. It was once believed that children were just “miniature adults” and should be taught to work and be responsible at a very early age – so that they would make “better” adults. At one time alcoholism was a “sin” and so was homosexuality, divorce and working in the entertainment field! I’m SO glad times are a changin’ and that we learn and grow (evolve!) from generation to generation.

10. I believe that the problems of this world belong to us – but that we belong to God. The “present time,” you see, isn’t a prepackaged stew that we have little choice but to serve and to endure. The present time is God’s time. Events and decisions are still ours to shape – we can’t get off that hook – but God has chosen to give us guidance and assurances to help us along the way. That’s Good News!

So, this Thanksgiving make up your own list of what you’re thankful for! It’s a wonderful world – appreciate it!