gratitude

Gratitude is a sincere appreciation for blessings or help we have received.

Today is the last month of November, and it seems to me the entire month is a time where many people think of all their blessings that God has bestowed upon them.  My Thanksgiving was wonderful this year.  I got off work unexpectedly early, and was able to go with my husband to spend the night at his parents house the night before Thanksgiving.  I really enjoyed doing this as I do not get to see them often.  We stayed up late, caught up on events, and talked about preparation for the next day.  Thanksgiving day arrived and I helped Gerri prepare a couple of items.  One of my favorite things to do on holidays is take pictures of everyone (both planned & unplanned).  I think pictures are so important for memories and reflecting.  I realized that I had not shared many of the photos I have taken (most likely out of lack of time), but this year I decided to make a powerpoint of the best pictures taken of this years Thanksgiving.  I added music as a theme song and sent it out to members of the family.  Now I want to make powerpoints of  all the previous holidays as well as future holidays.

We all have so much to be thankful for and these are the blessings that come to mind when I think of all the things I have to be thankful for:

health
youth
My husband
family & friends
determination
the desire to give back & help others
The fact that I am graduating this week!
A job
shelter
an abundance of food & wealth
& most of all that I realized early on in my life that God was in fact there....

But it takes more that just being thankful.  Like many things in life, you must show how you feel through your actions.  For some reason I have always had some kind of connection and fascination with the homeless.  I remember when I was 16 going on a field trip to downtown Houston with my photography class.  While other students were taking photographs of the skyscrapers and building.  I was taking photographs of one homeless man who kept digging through the trash.  I was trying to figure him out. 

When I see homeless people now, I want to understand their story.  How did they get here?  Why are they here?  Most of the time I think it is due to mental illness unfortunately.  But even if it were do to some kind of self-inflicting vice....they still need help.  As long as I am not directly helping someone to hurt themselves (i.e. giving them money and then they go buy drugs with that money) I feel fine buying them a warm meal.

In fact there is even a homeless & sick man in the medical center that knows me by name.  I have bought him lunch a few times.  I have watched him over the years go from walking to wheelchair bound.  It is a sad progression.  The opportunity to feed the homless at the downtown library a couple of years ago with my friend Joey in celebration of my birthday was another eye-opener.  I want & hope to do so much more to help others in my new found freedom from school that starts in less than 2 months.