One of my favorite movies is “The
Book of Eli.” In the movie, a young lady
named Solara asks Eli what the world was like before nuclear war and he
responded:
“People had more than they
needed. We had no idea what was precious and what wasn’t. We threw away things
people kill each other for now.”
In the movie, things like gloves,
scarves and hotel shampoo are valuable commodities. Water is more valuable than anything. I know for most of us, the thought of a world
like that is inconceivable. We all have
so much to be grateful for, yet it’s so easy to forget our blessings and let
the stress of everyday life overwhelm us. It’s sad to think that we live
in a world that has so much abundance but still have people who are hungry, homeless,
and sometimes destitute.
I was working with a friend of mine
a few years ago and we were leaving work at the end of the day. I rolled down my window and handed a guy some
money at an off-ramp. The gentleman with me asked if I did that all the time
and I responded, “No.” Somewhat
perplexed, he then asked me why I did it sometimes, but not others. I told him that sometimes I feel led to do
it, and sometimes I do not. That's just the
truth and it was good enough for him.
I think society has created a world
that often makes responsibility irrelevant and causes us to believe that some
things are important when they really are not.
Many people will put the importance of a cell phone, a bad habit, or an
inflated image over things that truly matter.
I think that in the end, when a person has wasted much of their life on
things that really do not matter, the most significant feeling they leave this
world with, is regret.
I have always been a grateful
person. That is how I was raised and I
am glad l that I was taught to appreciate whatever I have. Challenging circumstances can also put a
person in a situation that is very difficult to overcome. I realize that
sometimes it may be a person’s own fault. But you don’t always know what someone has really
been through. In a world where families are becoming smaller, I think in the
years to come people will not have near as many loved ones to rely on as they
get older.
I have so many great memories of
spending the holidays with my family and friends and I’ll always be grateful
just for that. As time moves forward and
some of those people have passed away, I appreciate those memories even more. I have said the prayer before we eat in the
Brafford family since I was about 12 years old. One never knows when the Holy Spirit will
overwhelm you. For me, it comes fast and
it comes furious. I was in total control
last year when we started the blessing and 10 seconds later, it really hit me
that Mema Brafford was not there. It was
all I could do to get through the prayer without completely losing it.
This Thanksgiving, take the time to
appreciate the people you care about. Keep
your family and friends in mind that are going through challenges. North Carolina was devastated by hurricanes
and flooding this year and many of those people are still recovering. Keep all of those people in your thoughts and
prayers. I think in a world that is
often moving faster than we can keep up, we all need to take the time to be
grateful for all of our blessings.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!!!