Thank You God

After Friday's discussions, you would think that I would realize how blessed I am. Saturday I was working on lesson plans for the month of January when the neighbor came over to use the phone. They ran out of propane, and had no heat or way to cook, etc. She wanted to sell some things at the consignment shop to get money for gas. I took her to the shop and then bought the gas for her since there wasn't enough money to cover it, but while we drove all over town, she talked. She has never not been on welfare. They are planning to move in February, so he can work with his dad and she hopes they can get off welfare. Her dad was a preacher who got drunk and turned mean. She got pregnant at 17 out of wedlock...on and on the story went. Sunday I went to pick up a lady for church. She had visited her pregnant, 19-year-old daughter in jail on Saturday. The mother is a mess trying to work through what all of this means for her and her daughter. She has enough trouble keeping things together for herself. So my weekend had me thinking how many blessings I have that I am not even aware of. I don't thank God for my blessings by saying thank you that I am not on welfare, thank you that I was raised by parents who weren't alcoholics or druggies, thank you that a man never urinated on me...So much in my life is a blessing that I don't think to recognize. I understand that I am blessed; I have never doubted that. But to realize the degree of blessing takes being with those whose life experiences are much different than mine. ----------- School is back in session. Tears have started flowing once again. Saturday, as I worked on lessons, #1 asked if we were getting back into school slowly (meaning a few subjects added each day), and I told him no, we are jumpng right in. He came back a few minutes later and asked if I was being sarcastic. Today when he saw his lessons he said, "Not only are we jumping right in, you added things!" Yepper Doodle Boy! Thus the tears.