BLESSED!!

     In America we are spoiled. We really do have it all. I have only traveled to one Third World Country and that was 26 years ago. I saw poverty and lots of it. I went home appreciating what I have and made a point to thank God for what I do have. Working in the restaurant industry, I can honestly say one thing does bother me. How much food that is purchased is thrown away in the garbage. I would have to say probably enough to feed a village in Africa per day! It’s so wrong!

     Here on Long Island only a few years ago, a gentleman was caught in a scam. Right along one of the exits off of the Long Island Expressway along the service road where there was a traffic light, he held up a sign that said “Homeless and hungry.” Many people stopped and handed him money as well as food. What people did not know was that this gentleman parked his fairly new SUV at a local gas station and lived in a nice home. He scammed thousands of people daily and was quoted as saying “I made more money in one day begging for money than I would working a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job!” What a scammer! Since that whole thing took place, I am always very leery of handing money to strangers who hold up signs along busy highways!

     I remember being young and hearing about the homeless. My first reaction was always “Go out and get a job people! Stop mooching off of others!!” After working in a homeless ministry and serving on their board, I can now see that being homeless was never a choice. It just happens when circumstances get tough. Nobody decided after graduating High School or College that they wanted to be homeless. It unfortunately happens.

     This leads me to the topic I want to share on this blog. We are so blessed! When is the last time we thanked God for the roofs over our heads? Or for the food we eat? Or how about the beds we sleep in? How about the jobs he gave us? Or better yet, how about the cars we drive that take us from place to place? We are so blessed here in America to have what we have. I know for a fact that some people have no roof over their head and have also had nothing to eat today and they live in our world. Some people have also slept on a sheet of cardboard instead of a bed or maybe even in their car! Many people in this world have no job and are struggling trying to get one. Sometimes they have to settle for a job that pays very little in order to attempt to make ends meet. It’s a struggle not only for a few but for thousands of people who live on planet earth. I thank God for everything and I sincerely know I am blessed. I sleep in a warm bed. The home I live in is heated. There is a roof over my head. My shower has hot running water. My car gets me to and from work or wherever I go. I have never gone hungry in 56 years. I have always been blessed with a job and I’ve never been unemployed. My clothes may not be brand spanking new but I have clothes to wear. We are blessed to live in this great nation we call the United States of America. We have a lot of freedom. Yes, I agree, we are headed in a bad direction when it comes to politics but we can always pray about what the future holds. So the next time you complain that your cheeseburger has no cheese, your fries are cold or you have to sleep in a room with n heat, just remember there are many people in this world who don’t have any of those luxuries and would love to just have one night with heat in their room.

God bless you all! Until next time!!