Thankful Thursday – Post 18

This Thursday … it seems almost trite to be thankful for when there is so much suffering in Japan. The numbers as of today … over 5,000 people have died and almost 10,000 still missing. Seeing those numbers made me curious what Haiti’s totals were. I quit breathing for a second when I saw the estimates … 100,000 t0 300,000 have died.

What?

How do I wrap my brain around numbers that big? And how can I be thankful when so many others, in both Japan and Haiti, are dealing with tremendous loss?

Water Glassphoto © 2010 Monik Markus | more info (via: Wylio)

.

That’s a tension I have to live with. The tensions in life are many and are varied. The water in the above glass can save a life … but as we saw, large quantities  of forceful water can take many lives and wreck havoc on everything in its path.

The tensions of life …

Which includes finding things to be thankful for … inspite of tough circumstances affecting us or others. Not in a ‘pat answer’ kind of way. Not out of denial or in a calloused way that would dishonor the pain others are feeling.

But in a way that honors both the people in pain and the tensions in life. Being thankful is a choice I have and it has been shown in ancient writings and in current research that choosing to be thankful has many benefits.

I am thankful for:

  • People who give love, not reasons … to help others.
  • Janitors who clean offices, hospitals, etc  … to help others.
  • Drivers of trucks, buses and delivery vans … to help others.
  • Cooks, staff and waiters who provide food … to help others.
  • Media that informs us of the tragedy so we can … help others.
  • People who work long hours to manage donations … to help others.
  • Rescue workers who stretch their body/mind/spirit … to help others.
  • Dedicated workers who stay in dangerous situations … to help others.
  • Medical personnel with the knowledge and skills … to help others.
  • Counselors, clergy and others that spend hours … helping others.
  • Caring answers, not religious ideology, given … to help others.
  • Scientists who study natural disasters to learn how to give more advanced warnings … to help others.
    • .

    Whether circumstances in the world or in your own life are weighing you down … are you still able to find something to be thankful for?

    Bookmark and Share