Walking and Health

Topic for Today: Gratitude

We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good, because it is good, if bad, because it works in us patience, humility and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country.

Lewis, C. S.

C.S. Lewis puts it so simply.  No matter what your situation is in these uncertain times of a down turn in the US economy, take a step back, take a deep breath, and slow things down.  You’ll find that you have a lot to be grateful for in your life as compared to others around you.  We are all living the best that we can until the economy revives.  Be thankful for all that you do have and do your best to get by with what you have available to you at the moment.  If life throws you a curve, work it out, learn from it, and get to a better place because of it.  You’ll learn patience and humility as the quote from C.S. Lewis above states as he shares his thoughts on gratitude.

I have a family of four children ages three, seven, eleven and thirteen.  I perform a juggling act every month so my income doesn’t run short before my next pay day.  The other day, my husband was heading back home from a twelve hour shift and his left steering tire blew as he was traveling normal speed on the freeway.  He held his composure when the tire blew and he carefully moved over to the right.  He couldn’t make it all the way off the highway and was in a dangerous situation. The highway patrol was called out and the CHP officer stayed with my husband and the truck until the tow truck arrived to remove the damaged tire and help put the spare on as a temporary fix.  My husband called me from his cell phone when it happened and told me he would be late.  He sounded calm and in control. 

When he finally arrived home, he went on the Internet to look up the price of two new front tires.  The only problem is how were we going to pay for these two new tires?  My head starting searching for ideas.  I went in to a quiet place (my bedroom) and asked God for guidance.  My husband knew our financial situation.  He also felt a sense of urgency in purchasing the tires because we needed tires on his truck. The truck was the only means for him to get back and forth to work. 

Our only solution was to call his older brother and ask for a cash loan until we got paid again.  He picked up his cell and dialed the number and I could barely hear his brother from where I was standing.  They talked briefly and then the conversation was over. My husband hung up the phone and put his head down on the computer keyboard where he was sitting.  I went over to him and gently placed my hands around the back of his head and looked down upon his reddish hair and held him tight against my chest.   He cried for a few brief moments. He looked up at me as he wiped he had tears in his eyes.  In a broken, quivering voice, he said he was scared out there when the tire blew and for a split second he wasn’t in control of the truck and he was so thankful to God that he made it back home to me and the family.  My eyes started to well up with tears as he went on to say that his brother would loan us the money and that we could take our time repaying him.  My husband stood up and held me tight as we hugged right in the middle of a busy family room. 

That day we were full of gratitude.  We were grateful that he made it home. He could have been involved in a single car or multiple car deadly incident on the highway.  We were also grateful to his brother and family in general.  A close family provides support and comfort in times of need. 

Spiritual gratitude can come in many forms.  Thank God for all you have around you.  It may not be exactly what you want at the moment, but it is usually what you need to get by for the moment.  God will see you through the worst situation and you’ll be a better person because of it.