Not to be Taken for Granted...

This post was written last night, but as you'll read, I'm just now able to post it...

I just got done sending out my newsletter and updating my Facebook status about it when we had a huge brownout. That happens a lot around here. Thankfully, I have surge suppressors and voltage regulators for most of my electronics. And, thankfully it happened AFTER hitting the ‘send’ button on my email, because a brownout also means a loss of internet. That also means that I won’t actually be making this blog post until sometime tomorrow (Tuesday).

Last Friday I got to help my friend Stephanie move into a new apartment. Her house has been broken into and robbed twice in the past six months. The last time was just a few weeks ago. Her cleaning lady happened to walk in while the robbery was in progress, so she probably kept the thieves from making off with more than they already had. But that was enough for Stephanie; it was time to move.

After I got back from Stephanie’s new house, I started looking at the things that I have here, and grew even more grateful. There are so many things that I have, which make for an easier life, that so many others don’t have. I don’t ever want to take those things for granted.

For instance, I have a washing machine. Stephanie does her laundry by hand, in a pila. That’s really tough work. While seeing Stephanie’s water dispenser, I once again became very thankful that we have our own well and I can drink the water out of any faucet anywhere on our property and not have to worry about getting sick. I’m also thankful that we have a guard 24/7. While that doesn’t guarantee that we will not be broken into, it is a bit of a deterrent.

As I look around me right now, there are lots of things that I don’t have, which I once had in the States. Yet, as I look around me right now, there are lots of things which I do have, which many Hondurans do not have. It causes me to continue to thank God for His many, many blessings in my life. It also causes me to think that it’s time to go clean out another closet or shelf!