Saturday, June 27, 2009

Things to think about over the 4th of July, in America...

* If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep ... you are richer than 75% of this world.

* If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace ... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

* If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

* If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ... you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

* If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death ... you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

* If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful ... you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

* If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder ... you are blessed because you can offer healing touch.

* If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.
*****This is one of the many things that "float" from email box to email box, encouraging you to send it along to your friends and acquaintances. I'm not sure who I could give credit to for writing it, as they seldom include that information. It feels "right" as something to think about as we celebrate our independence here in America next week. May all your trouble be small, and all your blessing be large *VBS* Hug a friend!

19 comments:

Amelia said...

I fall into those categories...so I am very rich and am blessed so much!

Thanks for calling these things to our attention...we all need to stand back and realize how great we have life.

Libby said...

We really do have an awful lot to be thankful for, both great and small *s*

Scrappy quilter said...

I'm Canadian and I'm very fortunate to fall into those categories as well. We need to be ever more thankful that we live in the countries we do. We are blessed!!

Sunna Reyr said...

I often wonder too who writes all this lovely stuff. Thank you for this reminder about how truly good life I'm living right now, right where I am.

And I'm getting ideas for my less than 1 1/2 " scraps by reading about your MAM blocks. Thanks.

Michele Bilyeu said...

Absolutely powerful. Thanks for something truly worthy of passing along in our daily mail and for not only deeply considering but lifting up our hearts in blessings each and every day. Even with all that we may see ourselves as not having, there is so far much more that we do have. And deep inside we know, that it will get better and even if it doesn't....we had more than most people do to begin with, anyway!

Donnelly said...

Love the reminder. We are all indeed blessed. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day.

Donalacasa said...

Wow! I decided to scroll through my blogger dashboard because I am experiencing insomnia due to some stressful situations in my life, but looking at this list of things to be thankful for, I see my "stuff" is but light affliction. And it's funny because I keep humming this song that I used to sing as a little girl in my grandmother's church, "I'm blessed. I'm blessed. As I look around me, I realized I'm blessed. I'm blessed."

Blessings!

julieQ said...

We are all so fortunate indeed. We have these computer typing away, connecting, plenty of food, enough to be way too fat! We are so blessed!

Myra said...

We are so rich aren't we... 8-)
Good read Finn! Thanks!

Twisted Quilts said...

Thank you for a great post and pointing out to us all the things we have to be thankful for. We should all stop and smell the roses.

Rosalyn Manesse said...

Well said! and best wishes on the glorious Fourth

em's scrapbag said...

Wonderful post. I will share it with my kids. We truly are blessed.

Granny Lyn said...

I am truly blessed! Thanks for reminding me!!

Stephanie D said...

Awesome post, Finn! Thanks for the reminder.

Melanie said...

Amen Sister!!!! one post says it all....

Susan said...

Thanks, Finn, for this gentle reminder of how fortunate we are. Americans work hard, but it's still a simple accident of birth that we are free and live in this land of opportunity. I frequently think about what my life (and my children's and grandchildren's) would be like if I had been born in India or Iraq.

meggie said...

Though there are many flaws here in OZ, this is, indeed, the lucky country.
HugsXX

Anonymous said...

Dear Finn, thank you for your post, a gentle reminder of how fortunate some of us are...warm regards lyn

*karendianne. said...

Uh, I sooooo completely needed to find this today. Thank you.