A Lesson in Thankfulness

 

Good Morning Friends,

I’m typing this from the airport; our trip to the States has begun.  Hopefully I’ll see a few of you I missed last time.  I’ll have to say it’s been a bit hectic, getting ready for this little and somewhat simple trip, and I’m glad to be started.  

I had something ready to send, but this morning I saw a friend’s Facebook post and thought it might be appropriate to share.  I hope they don’t get me for plagiarizing….. but some of my Australian friends, like me, might not have got a real idea of what’s been going on this last week in Appalachia.

So with prayers, I’m going to share this:

If you haven’t heard about the floods and relief efforts in North Carolina, I thought I’d share some thoughts.  

Firstly, I hope you aren’t thinking, ‘They should have been better prepared”.  Nothing like this has EVER happened to these folks in recorded history.  20-30 inches (50-85 cms) of rain falling on 3000 ft mountains (really tall)……in one day!  

Unbelievable forces came into play, water rushing down the steep slopes that snowballed into avalanches of liquid earth, filled with huge trees, rocks and other debris, racing down the mountains at 40+mph (65 kmph).  Some of these torrents were hundreds of feet wide, taking out everything in their path.  

And when you see it firsthand, and witness the fact that this level of destruction happened literally to hundreds of square miles, there is no way to convey the true scope of the devastation.

I want to remind us all to be thankful.  Thankful for families and friends, for food and water and shelter.  Thankful for everything that God has protected us from.

And I also want to talk about people.  Anyone who thinks that people don’t care anymore, has never experienced anything like this. Whether they were helping complete strangers or neighbours, I saw people answering the call.  Thousands of people, without regard to economic status, race or culture … just people in need.

And at last, there’s faith.  In a post, Adam Dufour said, “If everything was stripped from you, all you have left would be faith, would you still be thankful?”

Back to me:  I’ll have to say reading this brought memories to me of that horrible Japanese Tsunami of 2011.  There we saw similar situations, but sadly with less hope.  There were fewer people there who knew instinctively how to thank God in the midst of tragedy.  We continue to pray for Japan and are thankful for those who know Him. 

Have a good week, always being thankful for what we have.

Marsha